BigNews.Biz - May 02,2012 - SIGNIFICANT PRAISE FOR SENATE PASSAGE OF POSTAL REFORM BILL
This is a "critical step toward restoring the U.S. Postal Service to Soundness
WASHINGTON, D.C.—By an overwhelming and bipartisan vote of 62-37, the U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved legislation to reform the U.S. Postal Service. The bill, authored by Senators Joe Lieberman (I/D-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, along with Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and Scott Brown (R-MA), is garnering praise from businesses around the country that depend on reliable mail service.
The National Newspaper Association hails the Senate’s vote as a “critical step toward restoring the U.S. Postal Service to soundness.” NNA President Reed Anfinson praised the leadership of Senators Lieberman and Collins saying their work “represents a new commitment by our nation’s leaders to maintaining universal service while undertaking much needed repairs on our nation’s postal system. The leadership of Collins and Lieberman in establishing continued viable service for mailers lays the groundwork for USPS to pursue meaningful restructuring.” http://www.scribd.com/SenatorCollins/d/91415868-National-Newspaper-Association
This legislation “provides the Postal Service important financial breathing room while it moves forward with needed right-sizing initiatives,” says the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers. http://www.scribd.com/SenatorCollins/d/91417730-Alliance-of-Nonprofit-Maile
“This bill is a vital first step in pulling the Postal Service back from the edge of a fiscal abyss,” said Art Sackler, coordinator of the Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service. “That is good news for the Postal Service and the 8 million private sector workers whose jobs rely on it.” http://www.scribd.com/SenatorCollins/d/91415530-Mailing-Industry-Praises-Senate-Passage-of-the-21st-Century-Postal-Service-Act
“The legislation, which tackles many of the issues that threaten the Postal Service’s survival, is of critical importance to the magazine industry, which mails seven billion copies each year to readers across the United States and relies on an affordable and dependable postal system,” said the Association of Magazine Media. http://www.scribd.com/SenatorCollins/d/91415629-MPA-Statement-on-Passage-of-S-1789
“This bill makes it more difficult to close small rural post offices and provides a one year moratorium on closings of small post offices in rural areas,” said Charles Moser, President of the National Association of Postmasters of the United States (NAPUS). http://www.scribd.com/SenatorCollins/d/91415942-NAPUS
Among the provisions, the Senate-passed legislation would:
Give the Postmaster General the tools to compassionately downsize the postal workforce to match the declining mail volume.
For the first time in 35 years, the bill would overhaul the federal workers’ compensation system across the entire federal government by reducing costs, cracking down on fraud, making the system fairer, and encouraging a return to work for employees who are able to work.
Place a one-year moratorium on closures of small, rural post offices unless there is no significant community opposition to closure, encourages the Postal Service to work with the community to explore options such as co-locating post offices within a retail store or sharing space with government agencies.
Encourage the Postal Service to operate more like a business: by cutting internal costs first instead of driving away customers with deep service cuts or steep price hikes. Specifically, the bill would prevent the Postal Service from
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