Legislatively Speaking!
By Chuck Mulidore
NAPS Executive Vice President
One of my duties as your executive vice president is to manage the NAPS legislative portfolio on behalf of our members. This involves communicating NAPS’ legislative priorities to members of Congress and seeking to pass legislation that benefits not only working postal managers, supervisors and postmasters, but protects all postal and federal retirees, as well.
To accomplish this mission requires NAPS to have a political action committee to support candidates and incumbent legislators who support our legislative agenda. Thus, in 1978, the NAPS Executive Board established the Supervisors’ Political Action Committee (SPAC) as its legislative fundraising arm.
Since that time, SPAC has raised millions of dollars to aid political candidates who support NAPS’ legislative priorities. One of NAPS’ key legislative priorities this year has been passage of H.R. 3005, the Postal Police Reform Act of 2023. This bill clarifies the jurisdiction of postal police in order to restore the officers’ law enforcement authority beyond their domicile facility and protect postal personnel, USPS assets and the mail.
In other words, to once again allow the postal police to do the job they were created to do, and always did, until an ill-advised decision by the postmaster general restricted their authority. This bill was introduced by Republican Congressman Andrew Garbarino from New York and has been gaining bipartisan support since.
Our legislative efforts also include H.R. 594, the Postal Supervisors and Managers Fairness Act, which would provide for a timely start to pay consultations between the USPS and NAPS and that the findings and recommendations of a Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service fact-finding panel would be binding.
Additionally, H.R. 595, the Postal Employee Appeal Rights Amendment Act of 2023, would grant MSPB rights to EAS employees who currently do not have the right to appeal an adverse action to the Merit Systems Protection Board. And H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023, would repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP).
The WEP is part of the Social Security statute that reduces Social Security benefits for individuals entitled to such pension plans as the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). The WEP is the part of the Social Security law that reduces Social Security survivor benefits for survivors eligible for such annuities as CSRS. This is just part of the overall legislative agenda NAPS will be taking forward into 2024—a pivotal political year for our nation.
The keystone of our legislative agenda each year is the Legislative Training Seminar (LTS) that brings NAPS members from across the country to our nation’s capital to personally lobby members of Congress on behalf of postal and NAPS issues. The indepth, multi-day training event educates NAPS members on current legislative and political issues confronting them and the Postal Service.
The comprehensive legislative instruction provided at LTS results in effective meetings with lawmakers and their staff members. In addition, key senators, repre-sentatives and USPS leadership address LTS delegates. In 2024, LTS will be March 3-6 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA.
As you can see, NAPS has a strong, targeted legislative message on behalf of our members. How do we make all this happen? Well, it’s you! Your contributions fund SPAC; without those dollars, NAPS’ legislative work could not happen.
As we move closer to the 2024 elections, funding SPAC becomes even more critical. How can you help? NAPS active, associate and Auxiliary members are eligible to contribute.
You can contribute online or send a check or money order to NAPS Headquarters. If you are a working EAS NAPS member, we encourage you to sign up for easy payroll deductions through our “Drive for 5” program. We make it easy and your dollars help improve your working conditions, as well as help secure your retirement into the future.
Visit the Legislative Center on the NAPS website for additional, valuable information. Help us make the working lives of all EAS employees better through legislative action!
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