Legislative Issues Brief

Over the past year, postal allies in the House and Senate have jump-started a key legislative initiative to help rescue, restore and revitalize the nation’s postal system. NAPS celebrates House and Senate passage of H.R. 3076, the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022. NAPS also applauds the House Oversight and Reform Committee’s approval of H.R. 3077, the Postal Service Improvement Act. These bills represent the first steps in a comprehensive legislative effort to rebuild the nation’s mail system. NAPS believes that meaningful legislation should put the Postal Service on a sustainable financial and successful operational path. Therefore, NAPS supports comprehensive proposals to help assure prompt and reliable mail service to all Americans through sufficient postage revenues, high-quality postal operations and fair fiscal treatment of the Postal Service.

Fundamental to this effort is the goal of re-establishing America’s trust and confidence in our postal system. The perfect storm of the 16-year-old punitive requirement to prefund future retiree health benefits, shrinking mail volume, the COVID-19 pandemic, ill-advised operational changes to slow down mail and politicization of the federal agency have combined to undermine America’s approval of the agency.

In fact, a recent national poll conducted by the Gallup Organization reported that America’s job evaluation of the Postal Service tumbled by 17 percent over the past two years. Despite this significant decline, 57 percent of the American public still rates the Postal Service favorably, placing it only three points behind NASA, as the second-ranked federal agency. The 2020 national election and the COVID-19 pandemic have provided the Postal Service the opportunity to reconfirm its core mission of “binding the nation together.” In 2020, the Postal Service was instrumental in delivering democracy for our nation by transporting 543 million pieces of election mail. And, more recently, the agency helped protect America’s health by delivering vital COVID-19 antigen tests to millions of our neighbors’ mailboxes.

Postal Rescue Is Necessary

A national mail system is one of the few inherently governmental functions specifically enumerated in the U.S. Constitution (Article I, Section 8). The architects of our country strongly believed in a national postal system because such an entity promotes communication, education and commerce. The United States also has relied on the Postal Service to help protect public health and safeguard our democracy.

In 1970, the Postal Department was reorganized as the U.S. Postal Service, a self-funded independent establishment within the Executive Branch of the federal government. As such, it was converted from a taxpayer-financed, cabinet-level department into a separately managed federal agency that relies on postage for its operational revenue. In recent years, the Postal Service has been battered by falling First-Class and Marketing Mail volume and the associated shrinking revenue. The agency also was penalized by an unforgiving, congressionally imposed obligation to prefund its future retiree health benefits. There also have been numerous structural challenges that have prevented the institution from meeting the expectations of the American public.

Legislative rescue, restoration and revitalization are necessities and must address the following key issues:

• Relief from postal retiree health obligations and liabilities
• Adapting to the changed mail mix and its associated revenue
• Improving postal delivery performance
• Modernizing the postal infrastructure and delivery fleet

Moreover, NAPS strongly believes that a well-motivated and fairly treated supervisory and managerial workforce is a vital factor in ensuring postal survival and success.

H.R. 3076, the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022

On Feb. 8, 2022, the House of Representatives passed, by a landslide margin of 342-92, the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022; on March 8, the Senate passed the bill by an overwhelming 79-18 majority. We expect President Joe Biden to have signed H.R. 3076 into law by this year’s NAPS Legislative Training Seminar.

The NAPS-supported legislation provides the Postal Service with financial breathing space to stabilize its operations and finances. In sum, H.R. 3076 repeals the retiree health prefunding requirement and substantially reduces the Postal Service’s health insurance liability, saving the agency about $50 billion over the next decade. The bill also saves the federal government about $1.5 billion. In addition, the bill authorizes the Postal Service to offer non-postal governmental products and services to the American public, requires the Postal Service to provide six-day mail delivery through an integrated delivery network and authorizes the creation of a publicly accessible, online performance portal on which our customers can monitor postal performance by ZIP code. Clearly, this measure does not provide the Postal Service and its employees all the tools it needs to thrive, but it’s a step in the right direction and has earned NAPS’ support.

Repeal of Prefunding: The foundation on which H.R. 3076 rests is repeal of the requirement the USPS make prefunding payments on behalf of future postal retirees. The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 (PAEA) required the agency to make annual payments into the Postal Service Retirement Health Benefit Fund from fiscal years 2007 through 2016. Beginning in 2017, the Postal Service was obligated to make payments to cover the institution’s unfunded liability through the year 2056. H.R. 3076 repeals the provisions in PAEA that established these onerous, punitive and unique financial obligations. As a result, the Postal Service will be relieved of a $33.9 billion obligation in defaulted prefunding payments and $13.2 billion in defaulted payments for certain future retiree health costs and amortization payments.

Postal Health Benefits Plan: H.R. 3076 also will establish a postal-only component within the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program
(FEHBP). As such, the postal plan will be structured similarly to the FEHBP and continue to be administered by the Office of Personnel Management. The same plans available in the FEHBP, which have at least 1,500 postal enrollees, will participate in the postal plan and provide equivalent benefits. The method for calculating the employer contribution used for postal employees and postal retirees will remain unchanged from current practice. All postal employees and retirees will participate in the postal-only plan starting Jan. 1, 2025.

Medicare Integration: The postal health plan within the FEHBP enables the Postal Service and its health plan participants to benefit from the savings gained by implementing Medicare integration for individuals retiring from the Postal Service on or after Jan. 1, 2025. This means future retirees will enroll in Medicare to be eligible for post-employment postal health coverage. Current postal retirees are exempt from this requirement. In addition, employees aged 64 or older as of Jan. 1, 2024, postal retirees covered by the Veterans Administration or Indian Health Service and retirees living abroad also will be exempt from Medicare coverage. Current retirees who previously declined Medicare coverage may enroll in Medicare during a special one-time, six-month open season in 2024. The USPS will pay the late enrollment penalty. As a result of Medicare integration, the Postal Service will provide prescription drug coverage through a Medicare Part D Employer-Group Waiver Plan, which is part of the postal health plan. As a result of Medicare integration, health premiums will be less than they would have been absent integration.

Six-Day Delivery Network: H.R. 3076 requires the USPS to maintain an “integrated” network for six-day mail delivery. In practice, the Postal Service must preserve a mail system that provides nondiscriminatory, universal mail service for conventional mail and packages that use vehicles that transport all categories of mail. Opponents of the integrated system jeopardize the integrity and affordability of universal service.

Operational Transparency: H.R. 3076 requires the USPS to establish and report on targets and performance to meet service standards for market-dominant postal products (e.g., First-Class, advertising and periodical mail). This information will be posted on an online ZIP-code searchable website that will be updated weekly.

Non-Postal Services: H.R. 3076 enables the USPS to enter into agreements with state, local and tribal governments to provide non-postal services to increase revenue for the agency. For example, the USPS will be able to offer driving and hunting licenses, identity verification services and municipal permitting.

H.R. 3077, the Postal Service Improvement Act of 2021

In May 2021, the House Oversight and Reform Committee favorably reported H.R. 3077. It is now awaiting consideration by the full House. This measure complements H.R. 3076. The measure would standardize the address block on absentee ballot envelopes, improve postal performance and enhance the postal work environment. Most importantly, H.R. 3077 includes the text of two NAPS legislative priorities: H.R. 1623, the Postal Supervisors and Managers Fairness Act, and H.R. 1624, the Postal Employees Appeal Rights Amendments Act.

Postal Supervisor, Manager and Postmaster Fairness: H.R. 3077 includes the text of legislation (H.R. 1623, the Postal Supervisors and Managers Fairness Act), introduced by Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Michael Bost (R-IL). The provision would modify the process for consulting over pay and benefits for EAS-level postal employees.

On Feb. 22, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the Postal Service violated the law with regard to consulting with NAPS over pay and benefits. The failure of the Postal Service to comply with the law in determining compensation in 2018 and ignoring the findings of an independent Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service fact-finding panel resulted in NAPS seeking a judicial remedy. The Court of Appeals remanded to the Federal District Court the determination as to the magnitude of the remedy, including back pay. Enactment of this provision in H.R. 3077 would preclude future costly and protracted litigation over EAS-level postal employee compensation issues.

Specifically, the provision included in H.R. 3077 would establish a reasonable timeline for the USPS to propose to NAPS any changes in pay policies, pay schedules or fringe-benefits programs for postal supervisors and other managerial personnel. If, after consultations, the USPS and NAPS are unable to reach an agreement, the provision would make binding the decision of the independent fact-finding panel appointed by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

Postal Manager Appeal Rights: H.R. 3077 includes the text of legislation (H.R. 1624, the Postal Employee Appeal Rights Amendment Act), introduced by Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and David McKinley (R-WV). The provision would extend to virtually all EAS-level postal employees the right to appeal adverse personnel actions to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). Presently, the Postal Service has denied such due-process rights to over 5,000 EAS-level postal employees who are categorized as Headquarters personnel. These employees have needed to rely on an internal and unfair appeals process.

Mail-Ballot Address Standardization: H.R. 3077 requires that absentee ballots sent through the Postal Service contain a barcode to help the USPS track each ballot, a standard ballot envelope design and an official election-mail logo. This section also authorizes the federal government to reimburse states for the cost of using the USPS barcode service. The increased role the Postal Service has played in accepting, processing and delivering absentee election ballots makes this provision important in assuring the security of absentee ballots.

Paid Parental Leave for Postal Employees: H.R. 3077 would amend the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to provide postal employees with paid parental leave.

Restoration of First-Class Mail Standards: H.R. 3077 includes a provision to restore the service standards to the level in effect on Jan. 1, 2021. Restoration of these standards responds to nationwide criticism to the mail slowdown initiated by Postal Service Headquarters. The operational change delayed mail delivery for millions of Americans, including postal customers expecting medications and those sending bill payments. The removal of essential mail processing equipment, combined with the substitution of air transport with ground transport of the mail and COVID-related absenteeism have had a major impact on the time it takes to deliver mail. The slippage in America’s confidence in the mail system, as measured by the Gallup Organization, is largely attributable to the mail slowdown.

Modernization of the Postal Delivery Fleet: The USPS recently contracted with Oshkosh Defense to replace the aging postal delivery fleet; 90 percent of the new fleet is reported to be gas-fueled. The trucks currently in service were manufactured between 1987 and 1994 and intended to have only a 24-year lifespan. Moreover, the current fleet is without essential safety devices and climate control. H.R. 3077 authorizes the $8 billion to purchase new vehicles and for the infrastructure to support them. Seventy-five percent of the appropriation must be used for the purchase and support of an electric delivery fleet.

Safeguarding the Mail and Postal Employee

The pandemic-generated increase in parcel delivery, combined with the reliance of many communities in the mail delivery of prescription medication and negotiable financial documents, have resulted in heightened concern about mail theft. In fact, mail theft complaints increased by 161 percent from March 2020 to February 2021. Strong and visible postal law enforcement deters crime against the mail and postal employees who carry the mail.

The sanctity of mail is not limited to within the perimeter of postal property. Mail is protected under federal law from the time it is inserted into a mail collection device until the time it is in the hands of the intended recipient. For this reason, NAPS supports the important authority that postal police officers need to protect the mail and the employees who accept, process and deliver it. Therefore, it is crucial that postal police be able to prevent and investigate postal crimes, whether such crimes take place in a postal facility, outside a postal facility or on the delivery route of a letter carrier or mail-truck driver. NAPS support H.R. 5587, the Postal Police Reform Act, which ensures that postal police are capable of fully performing their law-enforcement responsibilities.

Like other members of the federal workforce, current and former employees of the U.S. Postal Service are entitled to participate in the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). In addition, most members of the postal community also contribute to the Thrift Savings Plan; many retirees also participate in the Social Security System.

The CSRS was created in 1920 as a federal employees’ defined-benefits pension fund that provides retirement, disability and survivor benefits for those hired as federal and postal employees before 1984. CSRS participants do not participate in Social Security unless they worked in the private sector. Postal and federal employees hired after 1983 are covered by FERS, a three-pronged retire-ment system that includes a modest defined-benefit component (FERS), Social Security and a defined-contribution component, the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). Both CSRS and Social Security benefits are adjusted annually to reflect the increase in the consumer price index. FERS benefits also are adjusted annually, but the adjustment is usually 1 percent less than the consumer price index. All FERS participants receive an automatic 1 percent agency contribution into their TSP account and dol-lar-for-dollar match for the next 3 percent of salary; the agency makes a 50 cents-to-dollar match up to 5 percent of salary. CSRS participants may contribute to TSP, but without an agency match. Moreover, the TSP allows account holders to invest their contributions in a variety of different funds managed by the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board.

Cost-of-Living Adjustments

Retirement security is sustained by maintaining the purchasing power of postal annuitants during their retirement years. Inflation chips away at earned benefits and jeopardizes a retiree’s income security. Consequently, both CSRS and FERS include a cost-of-living-adjustment
(COLA), although FERS includes a reduced COLA. Over the years, past Congresses and administrations have sought to reduce COLAs to balance the budget and reduce federal spending at the expense of CSRS and FERS annuitants. (Only in a few instances were Social Security COLAs under assault.) NAPS steadfastly opposes any attempt to reduce retirement COLAs. In addition, NAPS believes that both CSRS and FERS should provide their annuitants with the same level of inflation protection (i.e., a full COLA).

Enhanced Inflation Protection: The Consumer Price Index for Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) is used to calculate the inflation rate for federal retirement benefits, including Social Security. This specific index tracks price changes for a market basket of products and services purchased by working Americans. However, the market basket for senior citizens is not the same as the market basket for younger Americans and is characterized by a meaningfully higher rate of inflation. For example, retirees tend to purchase more medical services than other consumers. Consequently, the federal government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics maintains a separate index for a market basket of products and services purchased by senior citizens. This index is called the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E). Historically, the difference is about 0.2 percent higher under the CPI-E. NAPS believes that retirement annuities, including Social Security, should use the CPI-E to calculate retirement COLAs. H.R. 4315, the Fair COLA for Seniors Act, and H.R. 5723, Social Security 2100, would implement this change.

COLA Equity: As previously referenced, the CSRS and FERS retirement systems fail to provide the same level of inflation protection for postal and federal annuitants. FERS is inferior. During periods of high inflation, such as currently being experienced, FERS COLA protection is reduced as compared to CSRS. Specifically, when the CPI-W is less than 2 percent in a year, FERS and CSRS annuitants will receive the same COLA. If the CPI-W is between 2 percent and 3 percent, CSRS annuitants would receive a full COLA, while the FERS COLA would be capped at 2 percent. If the CPI-W exceeds 3 percent, CSRS annuitants would be entitled to a full COLA, while FERS annuitants receive 1 percent below the CPI-W. Over time, FERS inflation protection can erode significantly. NAPS believes that all federal and postal retirees have earned the same degree of inflation protection. H.R. 304, the Equal COLA Act, would provide such equity.

Social Security Discrimination: Two, almost 40-year-old Social Security provisions, the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), reduce the Social Security benefits of many CSRS annuitants. The WEP applies to CSRS annuitants, with Social Security entitlement, who worked fewer than 30 years in the private sector. About 2 million Social Security beneficiaries are penalized by the WEP (this includes federal, postal, state and municipal retirees). The GPO impacts the Social Security survivor’s benefit of CSRS annuitants. Under the GPO, the Social Security survivor’s benefit is reduced by an amount equal to two-thirds of the CSRS annuity. About 724,000 Social Security survivors are impacted by the GPO (this includes federal, postal, state and municipal retirees). NAPS believes the WEP and GPO should be repealed.

A series of bills have been introduced to eliminate or lessen the adverse impact on annuitants harmed by the WEP and GPO. H.R. 82, H.R. 5723 and S. 1302 would repeal the WEP and GPO. In addition, H.R. 4788 would eliminate the WEP for annuitants whose monthly combined Social Security and non-Social Security annuity is $5,500 or less. Finally, H.R. 2337 and H.R. 5834 would reform the WEP formula to reduce its effect.

Over the past decade, there have been extended periods of time when the U.S. Postal Board of Governors lacked a working quorum and, for more than one year, lacked any presidentially nominated members at all.

A well-qualified and mission-motivated board is essential to sustain our nation’s most respected national treasure, the U.S. Postal Service. American citizens entrust an affordable, universal, accessible, prompt and reliable national mail system to the board and its hires. As outlined in law, the members of the Board of Governors must represent the “public interest.” Therefore, our elected leaders must hold accountable those entrusted with this sacred responsibility.

Under law, the agency is governed by nine presidentially nominated and Senate confirmed members of the Board of Governors. No more than five governors may be of the same political party. The Postmaster General and Deputy Postmaster General also are members of the Board of Governors, but are not nominated by the president. The Postmaster General is hired by the board and serves at its pleasure. The Deputy Postmaster General is hired by the Postmaster General and the other members of the board and serves at their pleasure.

There presently are eight presidentially nominated members of the Board of Governors: five were nominated by former President Donald Trump and three were nominated by President Joe Biden. Last fall, President Biden nominated former head of the General Services Administration Dan Tangherlini to replace former Governor Ron Bloom, and former Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget Derek Kan to replace current Governor John Barger. Tangherlini served in the administration of former President Barack Obama; Kan served in the administration of former President Trump.

NAPS believes the Senate should promptly confirm the two Board of Governor nominees to restore the board to full complement.

About 20 years ago, then Postmaster General William Henderson publicly mused about the potential for the U.S. Postal Service to be a communications, technology and government service innovation incubator. In part, it was his view that the Postal Service and its employees were well positioned to experiment and beta-test delivering a wide variety of products and services to the American public. The goal was to explore and implement new strategies to generate revenue for the agency. Some of the products and services simply would be an expansion of postal-oriented commodities; other products and services would be trailblazing.

In current times, as the Postal Service is being challenged by shrinking mail volume, expanding postal products and services is vital.

Shipment of Alcoholic Beverages

NAPS supports legislative efforts to authorize the USPS to ship alcoholic beverages. Such authority would end the Prohibition-era ban that prevents the Postal Service from shipping alcoholic beverages to consumers.

For decades, winemakers have been legally allowed to ship bottles of wine via private shipping companies. It has generated substantial revenue for such carriers. However, the Postal Service has been unfairly barred from this market. This prohibition constrains Postal Service revenue because private shippers, such as UPS and FedEx, are exempt from such rules. The Postal Service has estimated that its shipment of alcoholic beverages would annually generate $50 million in new revenue.

H.R. 3287 and its Senate companion, S. 1663, the U.S. Postal Service Shipping Equity Act, would permit the Postal Service to carry alcoholic beverages from licensed producers and retailers to consumers over the age of 21, in accordance with state and local law. NAPS supports this legislation.

Limited Banking

Digital services, including limited banking and public-private partnerships with financial institutions that complement the Postal Service’s core products and align with the postal mission, should be encouraged and authorized by Congress.

A 2014 report by the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that the Postal Service was well-suited to provide non-bank financial payments, credit services and products to the underserved, some in partnership with the private sector. The OIG found that one in four U.S. households lives at least partially outside the financial mainstream—without bank accounts or reliant only on costly payday lenders.

The United States had a Postal Savings System from 1911 to 1967, which, in 1947, had $3.4 billion in assets (more than $35 billion in today’s dollars) or about 10 percent of the entire commercial banking system. Worldwide, 1.5 billion people receive some financial services through their postal service.

In fall 2021, the Postal Service initiated a very spartan approach to offer Americans limited financial services at four postal facilities in the country. It is unclear how these venues were selected or how the sole financial product, a restricted payroll cashcard, was promoted. NAPS encourages Congress to advance legislation to expand the authority of the Postal Service to provide basic financial services, including small-dollar loans, checking accounts, interest-bearing savings accounts and services relating to international money transfers.

The National Association of Postal Supervisors encourages sponsorship of the following bills:

House Legislation

H.R. 3077, Postal Service Improvement Act

Primary Sponsor: Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY-12), introduced May 11, 2021

Contact: Ethan Van Ness, 202-225-5051, ethan.vaness@mail.house.gov

The measure would enhance the capability of the U.S. Postal Service and state election authorities to track absentee election ballots and would authorize paid parental leave for employees of the agency. Most importantly for NAPS members, the bill includes the provisions of H.R. 1623 and H.R. 1624 (see below). Also, H.R. 3077 authorizes the acquisition of an electric fleet of delivery vehicles and to maintain current service standards. H.R. 3077 was approved by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on May 13, 2021, and awaits a floor vote.

H.R. 1623, Postal Supervisors and Managers Fairness Act

Primary Sponsors: Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11) and Mike Bost (R-IL-12), introduced March 4, 2020

Contacts: Wendy Ginsberg, 202-225-5051, wendy.ginsberg@mail.house.gov (Connolly); Noah Barger, 202-225-5661, noah.barger@mail.house.gov (Bost)

The bill provides for the timely start of pay talks between Executive and Administrative Schedule (EAS) postal employees and the Postal Service by decoupling EAS pay consultations from the protracted timeline of collective-bargaining between the largest postal union and the USPS. Under the bill, EAS pay talks would start 60 days prior to the expiration of the existing EAS “pay agreement.” In addition, the bill would establish a fair and credible process for the conduct of pay consultations by binding the USPS and the supervisors’ organization to the findings and conclusions of an independent Federal Mediation and Conciliation fact-finding panel.

H.R. 1624, Postal Employee Appeal Rights Amendments Act

Primary Sponsors: Reps. Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA-11) and David McKinley (R-WV-1), introduced Jan. 16, 2019

Contact: Wendy Ginsberg, 202-225-1492, wendy.ginsberg@mail.house.gov (Connolly); Allie Hildebrand, 202- 225-4172, Allie.Hildebrand@mail.house.gov (McKinley)

The bill confers to over 5,000 non-supervisory managerial postal employees the right to appeal significant personnel actions to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). Non-supervisory postal personnel currently may only appeal such actions through an internal USPS process that lacks impartial third-party review. Postal supervisory personnel and nearly all federal civil service employees already enjoy MSPB appeal rights.

H.R. 5587, Postal Police Reform Act

Primary Sponsors: Reps. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY-2) and Bill Pascrell (D-NJ-9), introduced Oct. 15, 2021

Contact: Scott Rausch, 202-225-7896, scott.rausch@mail.house.gov

The bill would reverse a 2020 directive from the Chief Postal Inspector that limited the jurisdiction of the U.S. Postal Police to postal facilities. Under the directive, Postal Police are not able to investigate crimes against postal personnel and property not situated on postal-owned or leased real estate.

H.R. 82, Social Security Fairness Act

Primary Sponsor: Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL-13), introduced Jan. 4, 2021

Contact: Nathan Canterbury, 202-225-2371, nathan.canterbury@mail.house.gov

This legislation would repeal the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision, sections of the Social Security law that unfairly reduce the rightful benefits of Civil Service Retirement System annuitants and surviving spouses of these annuitants.

H.R. 304, Equal COLA Act

Primary Sponsor: Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11), introduced Jan. 13, 2021

Contact: Wendy Ginsberg, 202-225-5051, wendy.ginsberg@mail.house.gov

The bill would create parity between the cost-of-living adjustment with respect to a Federal Employees System (FERS) annuity and a Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) annuity.

H.R. 2337, Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act

Primary Sponsor: Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA-2)

Contact: Elizabeth O’Hara, 202-225-5601, elizabeth.o’hara@mail.house.gov

The bill would help alleviate the impact of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) on certain CSRS annuitants who also are eligible for Social Security.H.R. 2337 would provide a $150 per month rebate to individuals who reach the age of 62 prior to 2023 and would alter the formula to reduce the impact of WEP for CSRS annuitants who reach the age of 62 after Jan. 1, 2023.

H. Res. 109, Resolution to Maintain Door Mail Delivery

Primary Sponsor: Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL-7), introduced Feb. 5, 2021

Contact: John Laufer, 202-225-4035, john.laufer@mail.house.gov

This nonbinding resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that residential and business door mail delivery should be continued.

H. Res. 47, Resolution to Oppose Privatization of the U.S. Postal Service

Primary Sponsor: Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA-8), introduced Jan. 13, 2021

Contact: Bruce Fernandez, 202-225-8273, bruce.fernandez@mail.house.gov

This nonbinding resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should ensure that the U.S. Postal Service is not privatized and remains an independent establishment of the federal government.

Senate Legislation

S. 1302, Social Security Fairness Act

Primary Sponsor: Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), introduced April 22, 2021

Contact: Chad Bolt, 202-225-2315, chad_bolt@brown.senate.gov

This legislation is the Senate companion to H.R. 82. It would repeal the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision, sections of the Social Security law that unfairly reduce the rightful benefits of Civil Service Retirement System annuitants and surviving spouses of these annuitants.