Government affairs

Legislative Updates

Week in review (October 21-25)

Congress remained in session this week with legislative business pausing following the death of House Oversight and Reform Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-MD). NALC released a statement on Chairman Cummings, viewable here. Next week, Congress will be in session continuing work on funding, nominations, and discussions around the ongoing impeachment proceedings.

House Activity

At the end of September, House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman, Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA), introduced new legislation to address the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), which would create a new equitable Social Security formula and provide relief to the public employees/retirees who are impacted and penalized by WEP. While NALC’s preference is a full repeal of WEP and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) laid out in the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 141/S. 521), NALC is encouraged by Chairman Neal’s legislation to partially address the WEP. Read more here.

On Tuesday, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced a resolution honoring the late Joseph Curseen, Jr. and Thomas Morris, Jr., two postal workers who died from anthrax inhalation while working at a USPS processing facility in Washington DC in late October 2001. NALC is appreciative of the continued respect shown by Congresswoman Norton for our lost brothers from the American Postal Workers’ Union and for her recognition of the service all postal employees provide to this country every day. You can read more on the resolution here.

On Wednesday, the Department of Labor (DOL) proposed a new rule that would switch all workers and their families to electronic delivery of retirement disclosures. This rule would impact all workers regardless of their access to the Internet, comfort with technology, or personal preferences. As a part of the Coalition for Paper Options, NALC is requesting letter carriers take a moment to send their Member of Congress a message asking them to block the enactment of this harmful rule. Workers should have a choice in how they receive retirement information and should be switched without their consent. You can follow this link to the Coalition for Paper Options to send your Member a quick message. Read more here. The DOL is also accepting comments on the rule through November 22, viewable here.

Senate Activity

On Tuesday, the Senate voted 92-2 to take up four of its 12 annual appropriations bills next week. The Senate bill package contains the Senate’s Agriculture, Transportation-HUD, Interior-Environment, and Commerce-Justice-Science measures, which will be offered as a substitute for the House-passed package. These will be the first funding measures voted on by the full Senate when they take it up next week. The House has already passed 10 of 12, with the remaining two on hold over disagreements between Congressional leadership.

NALC Priority Postal Bills

H.R. 2382 – USPS Fairness Act
Status: Introduced by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR)
Co-sponsors: 269 (225 Democrats – 44 Republicans)

To repeal the requirement that the United States Postal Service prepay future retirement benefits.

House Resolution 23 (H. Res. 23) – Door Delivery
Status: Introduced by Reps. Susan Davis (D-CA) and Peter King (R-NY)
Co-sponsors: 253 (202 Democrats – 51 Republicans)

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of door delivery for all business and residential customers.

House Resolution 33 (H. Res. 33) – Anti-privatization
Status: Introduced by Reps. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Rodney Davis (R-IL)
Co-sponsors: 265 (224 Democrats – 41 Republicans)

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the United States Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the Federal Government and is not subject to privatization.

House Resolution 54 (H. Res. 54) – Six-day Delivery
Status: Introduced by Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Sam Graves (R-MO)
Co-sponsors: 284 (215 Democrats – 69 Republicans)

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of its six-day mail delivery service.

House Resolution 60 (H. Res. 60) – Service Standards
Status: Introduced by Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
Co-sponsors: 199 (174 Democrats – 25 Republicans)

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to restore service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012.

Senate Resolution 99 (S. Res. 99) – Anti-privatization
Status: Introduced by Sens. Gary Peters and Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Co-sponsors: 53 (43 Democrats – 8 Republicans – 2 Independents)

Expressing the sense of the Senate that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the United States Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the Federal Government and is not subject to privatization in whole or in part.

Other Notable Bills

H.R. 141 – Social Security Fairness Act
Status: Introduced Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL)
Co-sponsors: 213 (160 Democrats – 53 Republicans)

Would repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) titles of the Social Security Act.

H.R. 2478 – Fed Retirement Fairness Act
Status: Introduced by Reps. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Tom Cole (R-OK)
Co-sponsors: 46 (35 Democrats – 11 Republicans)

To provide certain federal employees the opportunity to make catch-up retirement contributions for time spent as temporary employees after Dec. 31, 1988, thus making such time creditable service under the Federal Employees Retirement System. Now applies to temporary postal employees, such as letter carriers who spent time as casuals, TEs, and CCAs.

H.R. 2474/S. 1306 – PRO Act
Status: Introduced by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)
Co-sponsors: House 216 (214 Democrats – 2 Republicans) – Senate 40 (39 Democrat, 1 Independent, 0 Republican)

To increase protections for workers’ right to organize and bargain for higher wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions.

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