WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee which has jurisdiction over the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), applauded the Senate’s passage of the Postal Service Reform Act that she helped introduce last year. This bipartisan legislation will ensure the long-term financial stability of USPS, provide high-quality health care to postal workers, guarantee six-day mail delivery for decades to come, and allow USPS to better serve Americans, while also increasing transparency, accountability, and efficiency.
“The U.S. Postal Service is indispensable for Nevadans, particularly in rural areas, and those who rely on it to receive prescription drugs, Social Security checks, and other critical mail,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to see this bipartisan legislation that I helped introduce pass the Senate and on its way to becoming law. This bill will support the Postal Service and its workers by making it more financially stable, permanently ensuring six-day delivery, and increasing transparency so it can better serve all Americans.”
The House of Representatives has already passed this legislation. The bipartisan Postal Service Reform Act of 2021 would, among other things:
- Eliminate the burdensome federal pre-funding requirement for USPS retiree health care, finally putting USPS on a firm financial footing and ensuring that it can continue to serve Americans in the future;
- Permanently require USPS to maintain its current standard of delivering at least six days per week;
- Integrate retiree healthcare with Medicare, allowing the Postal Service to fully coordinate with Medicare (as most large businesses do), reduce costs, and receive a return on its investment since all employees pay into Medicare;
- Require the Postal Service to establish performance targets based on its service standards and publish weekly service performance data on its website;
- Authorize the Postal Service to enter into agreements with state, local, and tribal governments to provide non-postal services that provide enhanced value to the public. This would allow USPS to offer new services in post offices that serve local needs, such as state hunting and fishing licenses;
- Require the Postal Service to submit a report every six months on its operations and financial condition.
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