PrintFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Media Relations 202-268-2155
January 24, 2006
News Release No. 06-003
www.usps.com
POSTAL SERVICE OPPOSES PASSAGE OF SENATE POSTAL REFORM BILL (S. 662)
See letter below:
January 24, 2006
The Honorable Susan M. Collins
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510-6250
Dear Senator Collins:
Since we appreciate very much the efforts of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in crafting postal reform legislation, it is with regret that we must oppose the bill, even with the manager's amendments.
As we have communicated through a series of letters last year, buttressing communications from previous Boards about earlier versions of the legislation, we believe there are critical elements missing from this bill, as well as numerous burdensome provisions that would make it extremely difficult for the Postal Service to function in a modern, competitive environment.
We note, in particular, serious discrepancies between the bill's provisions and recommendations of the President's Commission, and while the bills do return responsibility for military retirement expense to the U.S. Treasury, this violates the Statement of Administration Policy and invites a Presidential veto. We also note that issues raised in the Statement of Administration Policy are not dealt with at all in these bills.
Again, it is with regret that, in carrying out our fiduciary responsibilities and in keeping with our concerns that the Postal Service be able to provide the quality of service and reasonable rates to which the American people have become accustomed, we must oppose the passage of this bill.
Sincerely yours,
(Signed)
James C. Miller III
Chairman
(Signed)
Alan C. Kessler
Vice Chairman
(Signed)
Carolyn Lewis Gallagher
Governor
(Signed)
John S. Gardner
Governor
(Signed)
Louis J. Giuliano
Governor
(Signed)
Patrick R. Donahoe
Deputy Postmaster General
and Chief Operating Officer
(Signed)
John E. Potter
Postmaster General
and Chief Executive Officer
Since 1775, the Postal Service and its predecessor, the Post Office Department, has connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. It is an independent federal agency that visits more than 144 million homes and businesses every day and is the only service provider delivering to every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues of $70 billion, it is the world’s leading provider of mailing and delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. The U.S. Postal Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world’s mail volume—some 212 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year—and serves seven million customers each day at its 37,000 retail locations nationwide.