PRINTER'S NO. 1810
No. 190 Session of 1999
INTRODUCED BY RAYMOND, BARRAR, ADOLPH, BAKER, BUNT, CIVERA,
GANNON, HERSHEY, JAMES, LAUGHLIN, McNAUGHTON, MELIO, PESCI,
READSHAW, ROSS, RUBLEY, SEYFERT, S. H. SMITH, STABACK,
E. Z. TAYLOR, J. TAYLOR AND TULLI, MAY 12, 1999
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS, MAY 12, 1999
A RESOLUTION
1 Memorializing the Congress of the United States to strengthen
2 the oversight power and the authority of the Postal Rate
3 Commission.
4 WHEREAS, The United States Postal Service, an agency of the
5 Federal Government, holds a monopoly on first class mail and
6 certain bulk mail service and generates annual multimillion-
7 dollar surpluses from its services; and
8 WHEREAS, The United States Postal Service has in recent years
9 expanded its activities beyond its core mission of universal
10 mail service to include many competitive and nonpostal-related
11 business products and services, such as consumer goods,
12 telephone calling cards and cellular towers, in direct
13 competition with Pennsylvania private sector enterprises; and
14 WHEREAS, The United States Postal Service has used surplus
15 revenues from universal mail delivery (first class postage) to
16 expand into these competitive and nonpostal activities, with no
17 evidence that these activities benefit the citizens of
1 Pennsylvania by improving regular mail service; and
2 WHEREAS, The United States Postal Service enjoys monopoly
3 advantages in the marketplace over private sector enterprises
4 with its ability to maintain lower prices for competitive
5 products (due to the multimillion-dollar surpluses generated
6 from first class postage) and its ability to set the rates of
7 private sector competitors; and
8 WHEREAS, The United States Postal Service enjoys many
9 marketplace advantages not available to private sector
10 enterprises, including exemption from State and local taxes,
11 parking fees, local zoning ordinances, vehicle use taxes,
12 vehicle licensing fees and other local government regulations,
13 which deprive State and local governments of needed revenue and
14 fees to offset the effect of the United States Postal Service
15 operations on highways, law enforcement and air quality; and
16 WHEREAS, The Postal Rate Commission does not have binding
17 authority over the actions or activities of the United States
18 Postal Service related to setting postal rates, entering new
19 business sectors or using surplus revenues from first class mail
20 to compete with the private sector; therefore be it
21 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
22 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania memorialize the Congress of the
23 United States, particularly the members from the Pennsylvania
24 congressional delegation, to introduce and pass legislation in
25 this session of Congress to strengthen the oversight power and
26 the authority of the Postal Rate Commission, to include:
27 (1) Subpoena power to examine all records and financial
28 data of the United States Postal Service in order to make
29 informed decisions on postal rate increases, pricing actions
30 and product offerings.
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1 (2) Jurisdiction and final approval authority on all
2 domestic and international postal rate adjustments.
3 (3) Authority over all nonpostal business endeavors,
4 including all products and services outside the scope of
5 universal mail service;
6 and be it further
7 RESOLVED, That the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue be
8 directed to undertake an analysis to quantify the impact of the
9 lost taxes and fees not being collected by State and local
10 agencies as a result of the United States Postal Service special
11 status and report its findings annually to the House of
12 Representatives of Pennsylvania.
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