Postal Reform Update
Here’s a word from our CEO Tim Johnson on what our elected officials are up to with USPS reform:
With regard to Postal Reform, it is difficult to find any good news but I would like to share a glimmer of encouragement. The Senate leaders and key sponsors of reform legislation agree that a bill needs to pass soon. There it is and that’s better than nothing; our elected officials want to do something; that’s a step in the right direction!
Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) wants to have postal legislation on the floor before the end of March. In my opinion, the Senate’s leading bill, S. 1789, does not truly reform the USPS but it will give the system enough financial breathing room to operate for a couple of years. Currently, S. 1789 has a budget score of negative $6.3 billion; however, it appears likely that concessions will have to be made in order to get S. 1789 to pass the Senate and those concessions will cause that score to rise.
The House has a very different approach to postal reform. Nothing in the House is currently scheduled for full House consideration.
Here’s what I believe we can hope for and we should push for:
1) the House and Senate pass their very different bills and then
2) a workable and beneficial compromise is developed in conference.
I don’t have a crystal ball but it seems quite likely that postal reform may not be approved until a lame duck session after the elections; that’s what happened in 2006. I fully recognize that this is not overwhelmingly wonderful news but it is better than a ‘sharp stick in the eye.’ Do you feel encouraged?