USPS reform: Senate passes sweeping bipartisan bill overhauling the US Postal Service

The ultimate vote was overwhelmingly bipartisan 79-19. The invoice now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.

The Postal Service Reform Act — which cleared the Home last month by 342-92 — would require retired postal staff to enroll in Medicare when eligible, whereas dropping a earlier mandate that pressured the company to cowl its well being care prices years prematurely. These two measures would save the USPS almost $50 billion over the following decade, based on the Home Oversight Committee. The laws would additionally require the USPS to create a web based dashboard with native and nationwide supply time knowledge.

Forward of the vote on Tuesday, Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer touted that when the laws passes, postal reform will lastly be “signed, sealed and delivered for the American folks.”

“Everyone knows that when the put up workplace is pressured to chop hours of operation or supply routes or lay off employees, the remainder of us are worse off,” Schumer mentioned. “Fortunately, for the previous few months, Democrats and Republicans have been working collectively in good religion to reform a number of the most troubled elements of the Postal Service.”

Established in 1775 to advertise the free change of concepts throughout the colonies, the Postal Service is among the many nation’s oldest authorities establishments — but it operates with few of the monetary advantages of being a federal company while still bearing many of the costs.

In contrast to different authorities businesses, the USPS usually doesn’t obtain taxpayer funding, and as an alternative should depend on income from stamps and bundle deliveries to help itself.

And in contrast to non-public courier companies akin to UPS and FedEx, the USPS can not excise unprofitable routes as a result of Congress stipulates that the Postal Service delivers to all houses in America — together with a distant group within the Grand Canyon, the place the mail is delivered by mule. Postal Service pricing should be accredited by the Postal Regulatory Fee, an impartial authorities company.

USPS finalizing plan to replace fleet with 90% gas-powered vehicles

Whereas lawmakers from each events have hailed the laws as an essential step for the USPS, Paul Steidler, a Postal Service skilled on the Lexington Institute, informed CNN it would not go almost far sufficient.

“The invoice is woefully inadequate as a result of it does nothing to enhance mail service. It takes the stress off of the Postal Service to higher perceive and to cut back its prices. And it would not sufficiently empower the Postal Regulatory Fee, which proper now may be very small and has very tiny assets in comparison with the Postal Service.”

Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan who launched the Senate model of the USPS laws, mentioned Tuesday in ground remarks that by approving this invoice, “this physique can present the nation that Congress can certainly construct consensus. We will work on a bipartisan foundation and get issues accomplished for the American folks.”

Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, who co-sponsored the Senate invoice, added that “saving the Publish Workplace is the precise factor to do”

“Neither of us obtained precisely what we wished, each needed to make concessions,” Portman mentioned. “However we are literally doing the precise factor for the nation right here to save lots of the Publish Workplace.”

CORRECTION: The story has been corrected to specify that US Postal Providers costs are accredited and overseen by the Postal Regulatory Fee.

Source link