March 8, 2022 – By a vote of 79-19 the US Senate has passed postal reform legislation. The bill, designed to eliminate much of the Postal Service’s debt and restructure some of its operations, is now awaiting the signature of President Biden. This legislation is the first significant reform for the Postal Service since the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, which created the onerous requirement for prefunding of retiree health benefits.
In addition, the bill formalizes a 6-day delivery obligation, increases reporting requirements, and requires new postal retirees to enroll in Medicare. The bill will also allow USPS to provide non-postal services for state and federal governments.
The USPS says this legislation is an important component of the Delivering for America 10-Year Strategic Plan, and combined with operational reforms will help the USPS reach its goals of financial sustainability and service excellence.
AUSPL has joined many other stakeholders including Postal Unions, in lobbying Congress for this much needed reform. Many years of effort have gone into education Congress on the needs of the Postal Service and the network of leased postal facilities.
Additional Information is available from Government Executive and the USPS.