WASHINGTON, DC – This evening the Senate passed the historic, bipartisan Postal Service Reform Act led by U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member and Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, to set the United States Postal Service on a more sustainable financial footing and support the goal of providing long-term reliable service across the country. The bill – which has now passed both the House and Senate with strong bipartisan support – will make the first major reforms to the Postal Service in nearly 15 years. The legislation passed the Senate with a bipartisan vote of 79 to 19 and now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
“The Postal Service has played a vital role in American life as far back as the Revolutionary War. Today, it continues to bind Americans together and ensures the delivery of vital medicines, business documents, and personal correspondence,” said Ranking Member Portman. “I am proud the Senate has passed our bipartisan Postal Service Reform Act, which will, when coupled with the Postal Service’s transformative 10-year plan, help turn around the substantial losses at the Postal Service over the last decade and ensure self-sustaining, high-quality postal service for all Americans.”
Ahead of the passage of the legislation, Senator Portman delivered remarks on the Senate floor. A video of those remarks can be found above and here.
“By passing this historic legislation, the Senate has shown the American people that we can come together, build consensus, and pass meaningful reforms that will improve lives. This bill, which has been 15 years in the making, will finally help the Postal Service overcome burdensome requirements that threaten their ability to provide reliable service to the American people,” said Chairman Peters. “I worked closely with the bipartisan leaders of my committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform to ensure our reforms could receive significant support from both sides of the aisle – and I was pleased to see a strong bipartisan vote in both chambers. I urge the President to sign this groundbreaking legislation into law – so that we can ensure this historic institution and its dedicated workforce, who have served the American people for more than 250 years, can continue providing invaluable services to every American community for years to come.”
The Postal Service Reform Act will provide key financial and operational reforms to the United States Postal Service. The bill will eliminate the onerous prefunding requirement that has hurt the Postal Service financially, and integrate postal worker retirees’ health care with Medicare. Together, these two reforms will create more than $49 billion in savings for the Postal Service over the next ten years. In addition, the bill will require the Postal Service to maintain its standard of delivering at least six days a week. The legislation will improve transparency of Postal Service operations to both customers and Congress by requiring the publication of easily accessible local weekly service data on the Postal Service website, as well as regular and detailed reporting to Congress on Postal Service finances and operations. The bill also includes additional provisions for Postal Service effectiveness, accountability and growth.
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