U.S. Senate Passes Postal Reform Legislation

The U.S. Senate has passed a historic, bipartisan legislation led by Michigan Senator Gary Peters to set the U.S. Postal Service on a more sustainable financial footing and support the goal of providing long-term reliable service across the country, according to the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

The legislation would make the first major reforms to the U.S. Postal Service in nearly 15 years, and now heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.

“By passing this historic legislation, the Senate has shown the American people that we can come together, build consensus, and pass meaningful reforms that will improve lives. This bill, which has been 15 years in the making, will finally help the Postal Service overcome burdensome requirements that threaten their ability to provide reliable service to the American people,” said Senator Peters. “I worked closely with the bipartisan leaders of my committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform to ensure our reforms could receive significant support from both sides of the aisle – and I was pleased to see a strong bipartisan vote in both chambers.”

Senator Peters continued, “I urge the President to sign this groundbreaking legislation into law – so that we can ensure this historic institution and its dedicated workforce, who have served the American people for more than 250 years, can continue providing invaluable services to every American community for years to come.”

The Postal Service Reform Act would provide financial and operational reforms to the U.S. Postal Service, including eliminating a pre-funding requirement that has hurt the U.S. Postal Service financially, as well as integrate postal worker retiree’s health care with Medicare.

Overall, the two reforms would save $49 billion for the U.S. Postal Service over a ten-year period.

Additionally, the Postal Reform Act would require the U.S. Postal Service to maintain their standard of delivering at least six days a week.

Furthermore, the bill would improve transparency of U.S. Postal Service operations to both customers and to Congress by requiring the publication of easily accessible local weekly service data on the U.S. Postal Service’s website, as well as regular and detailed reporting to Congress on Postal Service finances and operations. It also includes provisions for Postal Service effectiveness, accountability and growth.