Postal Bill Gets Markup Tomorrow
The House Government Reform Committee is scheduled to consider the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act tomorrow, the panel said.The committee originally scheduled the markup for April 14.
Insiders said the bill likely will be moved out of committee tomorrow as well.
The bill mandates transparency in USPS finances, costs and operations, creates a modern system of rate regulation, establishes fair competition rules and a new regulator, addresses the agency's universal service obligation and the scope of the mail monopoly and institutes improvements to the collective bargaining process.
On April 8, the USPS filed a request with the Postal Rate Commission for an across-the-board rate increase of 5.4 percent. The USPS said the increase is needed only to meet the escrow requirement of the Postal Civil Service Retirement System Funding Reform Act of 2003. The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act eliminates the escrow requirement, which should mitigate the impact of the rate increase.
