Legislative News

NAPS Legislative Liaisons in Action

2019 Breaking Legislative News

NAPS Testimony Before Senate Postal Committee

In mid-March NAPS Executive Vice President Ivan D. Butts submitted testimony to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Commitee relating to the recommendations offered by the President's Task Force on the U.S. Postal System.

White House FY 2020 Budget Targets Postal and Federal Community     (Posted March 12, 2019)

Yesterday, President Donald Trump submitted to Congress his Administration's Fiscal Year 2020 Budget proposal. The financial document included 10-year cuts of $102 billion targeted at active and retired federal-postal workers, and $98 billion directed toward the U.S. Postal Service.

In sum, the President's budget seeks to implement the following:

• Increase employee FERS contribution by 1 percent per year for next 5-6 years
• Eliminate the FERS program, replacing it with a defined-contribution plan
• Eliminate the FERS retirement COLA
• Reduce the CSRS retirement COLA to the inflation rate, minus 0.5 percent
• Elimninate the FERS Supplmental Annuity
• Change the retirement formula from the average of the high-3 years to the high-5
• Reduce the earned interest on the Thrift Saving Plan G-Fund
• Modify the FEHBP government contribution to reflect plan value

The President's FY 2020 budget does not specify the proposals that would yield the $98 billion in Postal Service cuts; however, last year's budget included reducing the days of delivery and moving away from door delivery among it proposals.

The release of the President's budget coincided with the NAPS Legislative Training Seminar and Capitol Hill lobbying days, so NAPS' legislative activists stormed the Hill armed with information to challenge the President's budget cuts directed againts NAPS members.

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Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Schedules Postal Hearing (Posted March 6, 2019)

Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) scheduled a hearing on the recommendations of the President's Task Force on the U.S. Postal System for Tuesday, March 12 at 2:30 PM. Testimony will be delivered by Office of Personnel Management Acting Director Margaret Weichert, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions Kipp Kranbuhl, Postal Regulatory Commission Chairman Robert Taub, and USPS Board of Governors Member David Williams. We expect the hearing will be livestreamed at the Senate committee website.

Senate Panel Approves Two Nominees to Merit System Protection Board (Posted March 4, 2019)

On February 13, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee approved nomination of Dennis Kirk and Julia Clark to the Merit System Protection Board (MSPB). The full Senate has yet to schedule the nominees for ratification. Currently, the MSPB has no members.

Early Bills in the 116th Congress (Posted Jan. 17, 2019)

Early in the 116th Congress, the House and the Senate introduced a number of postal related bills and resolutions that impact the U.S. Postal Service and NAPS members.

First, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) re-introduced bipartisan legislation from the previous Congress that would provide Merit System Protection Board appeal rights to EAS level postal employee presently not afforded that right. The new bill, H.R. 597, carries the original cosponsorship of Rep. David McKinley (R-WV).

Second, three bills were introduced that would encourage certain aspects of vote-by-mail. Rep. John Sarbanes introduced H.R. 1, broad legislation that aims to increase voter participation in elections, reduce the influence of "big money" in politics, and strengthen the ethical rules for elected leaders. Amongst the bill's provisions is a section to promote vote-by-mail, emphasizing the expansion of "no excuse absentee ballots."  Two other bills, S. 26 and H.R. 92, introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) respectively, would also encourage states to adopt vote-by-mail elections.

Third, the new chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Service and General Government, Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL), introduced H.R. 264, legislation to, among other things, fund the Postal Regulatory Commission. The partial government shutdown forced the PRC to suspend operations on January 11, 2019.

Finally, three non-binding House Resolutions were introduced that express the "Sense of the House of Representatives" to either protect a variety of USPS services. H.Res. 23, introduced by Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA), expresses House support for the continuation of door mail delivery to business and residential. H.Res. 33, introduced by Rep. Steve Lynch (D-MA), indicates House opposition to postal privatization. H.Res. 54, introduced by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), indicates House support for the continuation of 6-day mail delivery.

Thus far, comprehensive postal reform legislation has not been introduced.

NAPS is diligently preparing for the upcoming Legistiave Training Seminar (March 10-13) where our members will be advancing legislation that benefit the USPS and NAPS members. Please plan to attend.