Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act
POSTAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND ENHANCEMENT ACT -- (House of Representatives - July 26, 2005)
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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time and rise in support of H.R. 22. It is a good bill that should be enacted this year.
I applaud the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the ranking member, the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), and the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh). The gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) has made a career of this bill, and we are thankful for that. He is not on the floor, but I want to congratulate him on his efforts.
Just a few months ago, the Committee on Government Reform marked up and passed this bill 39-0. Given the current political environment, that is amazing. An extraordinary achievement. Such bipartisanship on Capitol Hill is all too rare these days. When it happens, we should take note. The fact that every Democrat and Republican on the committee embraced H.R. 22 testifies to the need for postal reform that puts politics aside and focuses on pressing issues.
It is also a tribute to the hard work and energy that postal employees, business groups, and postal customers brought to bear educating lawmakers about the merits of reform.
Let me say something as an aside. The United States Postal Service is the most efficient and productive postal service in the world. It may surprise some to learn that some years ago when I took testimony in the Treasury Postal Subcommittee as chairman, the United States Postal Service was 40 percent more efficient than the number two postal service in the world which was Japan. I observed if we had that kind of productivity efficiency with respect to VCRs, we would not be buying JVCs, we would be buying RCAs made in America or Emerson or some other manufacturer.
Why has H.R. 22 earned my support and the support of a bipartisan group? Simply put, because it satisfies four areas. First, it protects universal service. That is absolutely essential. Secondly, it protects collective bargaining. Since the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 established collective bargaining as a fundamental right, there has not been a single work stoppage or significant disruption in service as a result of labor-management discord. It is appropriate to protect it and continue it.
I noticed the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) is back on the floor. I congratulate the gentleman. I said how steadfast you have been in the face of coming right up to the brink of passage and then having to withdraw. We all owe you a debt of gratitude and appreciation for the work you have done on this particular piece of legislation.
H.R. 22 ensures the Postal Service is treated exactly the same way every other Federal agency is in the area of military pensions. Our postal workers who served in the military served America, not the Postal Service, America. It is the U.S. Government that ought to compensate those military veterans. H.R. 22 mandates that the proportion of their retirement that comes from military service will be paid for by the Treasury, as it should be.
Lastly, H.R. 22 provides the Postal Service the flexibility it needs to set postal rates in a competitive manner. This is a difficult area. I know the committee has grappled with it, but I think the committee has come out with a solution that ought to be supported. There is no legislative reason why postal reform should not be enacted before the end of the year.
Unfortunately, however, I understand the administration has signaled its opposition to key provisions of H.R. 22 and its Senate counterpart S. 662. It is my hope and, yes, my expectation, that the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis), the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh), and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) will be successful in resisting efforts by the administration to weaken or repeal provisions that are the product of years of hard bipartisan work.
I urge support of this product. I again congratulate the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) on the work he has so ably led for so long.
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