On September 17, 2015 Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) introduced Senate Bill 2051, named the “Improving Postal Operations, Service and Transparency Act 2015” (iPOST).  The Bill, introduced in the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, is the most recent Congressional proposal for comprehensive “postal reform” legislation.

In addition to tackling such critical financial issues as the mandatory annual $5 billion “FERS” payment, revenue losses from the anticipated reversal of the recent “exigent” rate increase, and revenue enhancement through additional service offerings, the Bill addresses a number of issues which are important to AUSPL members.  The following are examples of the legislative proposals that are of specific concern to postal lessors:

  1. The Bill would impose a five year moratorium on closing, consolidating, or reducing post office hours, and on reclassifying downward any post office that is classified at or below level 18 (the lowest level post office with a full-time postmaster);
  2. For closings after the five year moratorium, the Bill adopts additional criteria which must be evaluated as part of the decision to close a post office. Included among the additional criteria are (i) the extent to which the community in which the post office is located lacks access to Internet, broadband, or cell phone service, (ii) the extent to which customers in such community would continue to have similar access to essential items such as medication, and (iii) the proximity and accessibility to such community of other post offices;
  3. The Bill would impose a two year moratorium on plant closings or consolidations, and
  4. The Bill would require a multi-broker leasing process that would encourage competition by having a number of real estate companies competing to represent the USPS (as opposed to the single national contract under which CBRE currently acts as the sole representative of the USPS).

While recognizing that the USPS is struggling with “financial challenges that threaten its future,” Senator Carper maintains that the agency remains vital to the U.S. economy.  According to Senator Carper, the Bill would address postal issues Congress and the USPS have been struggling with for years.  The proposed legislation would give postal employees and customers “some badly-needed stability and certainty,” Senator Carper said.

The Bill takes a comprehensive approach in seeking to address many financial and other issues that are important to the USPS and its major stakeholders, including customers, postal employee unions and direct mailers.  As always, AUSPL will monitor the status of the proposed legislation and continue its advocacy in favor of the interests of postal lessors.  To that end, AUSPL’s leadership meets frequently with members of the Congressional committees that have jurisdiction over the Postal Service.

Postal Bills submitted in 114th Congress

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