Government affairs

Legislative Updates

Week in Review (June 24-28)

The House and Senate were in session this week with the House passing even more spending bills for FY 2020, while the Senate passed a $4.6 billion border funding bill to address the humanitarian crisis to the south, which the House felt forced to pass despite its input as further delays could pose even more dangers to those impacted. Additionally, the Supreme Court issued a number of rulings on cases that could impact 2020 elections and beyond.

House Activity

On Wednesday, the House passed the $24.6 billion FY20 Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill, which maintains NALC’s long-standing language preserving 6-day mail delivery. An amendment to expand its financial services and one to shorten post office wait times were agreed to. NALC did not endorse either amendment as we are completely committed first to addressing the financial situation via repeal of the burdensome pre-funding mandate and through ongoing postal reform efforts. Of note, the measure prohibits funding for the President’s proposal to merge the Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration; prevents OPM from carrying out furloughs or reductions-in-force (RIFs), following a threat to do so by Acting OPM Director Margaret Weichert if the merger was not advanced; and of relevance for the federal community, the bill contains an average 3.1 percent federal pay raise for civilian employees in 2020 (does not apply to letter carriers). The Senate is expected to work its FSGG measure in the coming months.

Following its introduction last week, the House Ways and Means Committee approved the bipartisan Beneficiary Education Tools Telehealth Extender Reauthorization (BETTER) Act of 2019 (H.R. 3417) on Wednesday. The bill, which seeks to improve the quality of and access to services for Medicare beneficiaries also includes a provision stating the Social Security Administration must reinstate the mailing of printed Social Security Statements to eligible wage earners.

Senate Activity

On Wednesday, the Senate passed its own version of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border Act (H.R. 3401), a $4.6 billion border aid funding bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) stated he would oppose any potential changes offered by the House, arguing that they would drag the bill “too far to the left.” As a result and due to pressure to act quickly on the humanitarian crisis, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) reluctantly announced Thursday that the House would take up the Senate-passed legislation, which it passed later that evening in a 305-102 vote with 95 Democrats and 7 Republicans voting against the bill.

Supreme Court Activity

On Thursday, the Supreme Court issued a ruling forbidding the Administration from adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census for the time being due to the Administration having provided a “contrived” reason for wanting the information. A string of lower-court judges found that attempts to include the question violated federal law and regulations and there is not much time for the Administration to try to come up with a new, legal rationale for adding it. The census is incredibly important and done every ten years to determine the nation’s population and thereby the size of each state’s congressional delegation, how many votes it receives in the Electoral College, and finally, how the federal government allocates hundreds of billions of dollars in funding. Should the millions of individuals who are not American citizens go uncounted, it could drastically change each of those preceding factors.

Additionally, the Supreme Court issued a separate ruling that federal courts should not have the power to declare the maps that are used to determine the shape of House and state legislative districts as unconstitutional and that doing so would be an “unprecedented expansion of judicial power... into one of the most intensely partisan aspects of American political life.” The implications of this ruling could be incredibly significant for the 2020 election and those going forward.

NALC Priority Bills/Resolutions

H.R. 2382 – USPS Fairness Act
Status: Introduced by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR)
Co-sponsors: 147 (121 Democrats – 26 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: 225 (184 Democrats – 41 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: 257 (218 Democrats – 39 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: 262 (200 Democrats – 62 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: 176 (154 Democrats – 22 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.

H.R. 2478 – Fed Retirement Fairness Act
Status: Introduced Reps. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Tom Cole (R-OK)
Co-sponsors: 24 (18 Democrats – 6 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 172 (All Democrats) – 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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