Regular Session 2019-2020 House Resolution 0973 P.N. 4285

PRINTER'S NO. 4285

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

No.

973

Session of

2020

INTRODUCED BY DeLUCA, MILLARD, HILL-EVANS, WILLIAMS,

SCHLOSSBERG, ZABEL, FREEMAN, McNEILL, A. DAVIS, NEILSON,

GREEN, DRISCOLL, SAMUELSON, T. DAVIS, LONGIETTI, ROZZI,

HOWARD, HARKINS, SANCHEZ, CIRESI, KINSEY, MADDEN, DELLOSO,

PASHINSKI, KENYATTA, KIM, HOHENSTEIN, MALAGARI, READSHAW,

MERSKI, KORTZ, YOUNGBLOOD, McCLINTON AND DEASY,

AUGUST 25, 2020

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, AUGUST 25, 2020

A RESOLUTION

Commemorating the history and importance of the United States

Postal Service.

WHEREAS, The United States Postal Service (USPS) is a

critical pillar of the infrastructure and economy of the United

States; and

WHEREAS, The USPS provides an important service to residents

of the United States, including residents of Pennsylvania, by

ensuring the secure and timely delivery of mail; and

WHEREAS, Pennsylvania has long recognized the importance of a

postal service; and

WHEREAS, This recognition can be traced to the establishment

of Pennsylvania's first post office by William Penn in 1683; and

WHEREAS, Benjamin Franklin also had a major impact on the

development of the USPS; and

WHEREAS, Benjamin Franklin was appointed postmaster of

Philadelphia by the British Crown Post in 1737; and

WHEREAS, At that time, postmasters were often newspaper

publishers and restricted the free flow of information by

excluding rival newspapers from the mail; and

WHEREAS, Benjamin Franklin was, along with William Hunter of

Virginia, named joint postmaster general for the Crown on August

10, 1753; and

WHEREAS, As joint postmaster general, Franklin instituted

many improvements to the postal system; and

WHEREAS, Several of those improvements included establishing

a standardized postage rate chart based upon weight and

distance, facilitating the free flow of information by

instructing postmasters to admit all newspapers to the mail for

a small fee, encouraging postmasters to establish the penny

post, where letters not called for at the post office were

delivered for a penny and instituting overnight postal travel

between New York and Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, Colonial-era post offices in Pennsylvania and other

colonies laid the framework for American independence by

facilitating communication and information sharing; and

WHEREAS, In 1774, Benjamin Franklin was dismissed as joint

postmaster general by the Crown for being too sympathetic to the

American colonies; and

WHEREAS, At the end of Benjamin Franklin's tenure as joint

postmaster general, post roads operated from Florida to Maine

and into Canada; and

WHEREAS, On July 26, 1775, the Second Continental Congress

created the position of postmaster general and named Benjamin

Franklin to the post; and

WHEREAS, Postmaster General Franklin was in office when the

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Declaration of Independence was signed and continued as

postmaster general until November 7, 1776; and

WHEREAS, The current USPS descends from the postal system

that Benjamin Franklin placed in operation; and

WHEREAS, The Articles of Confederation gave the United States

government the power to establish and regulate post offices; and

WHEREAS, These powers were preserved in Article I, Section 8,

Clause 7 of the Constitution of the United States, which gives

the Congress of the United States the power to establish post

offices and roads; and

WHEREAS, The postal service received one-year and two-year

extensions in the years immediately following the adoption of

the Constitution of the United States; and

WHEREAS, On February 20, 1792, President George Washington

signed into law the Postal Service Act, which established the

Post Office Department, which was continued indefinitely by the

Act of May 8, 1794; and

WHEREAS, Early Federal laws concerning post offices

prioritized the security, privacy and timely delivery of mail

and furthered the freedom of the press by ensuring that

newspapers could be mailed at low postage rates; and

WHEREAS, The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 transformed

the Post Office Department into the United States Postal

Service, and provided for many changes to the postal system; and

WHEREAS, The postal service has served and continues to serve

a critical role in the development of the United States,

providing for communication, commerce and information sharing

between people in distant parts of the United States; and

WHEREAS, This critical role and the importance of mail is

perhaps best exemplified by an inscription on the former

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Washington, DC, Post Office, which reads:

Messenger of Sympathy and Love

Servant of Parted Friends

Consoler of the Lonely

Bond of the Scattered Family

Enlarger of the Common Life

Carrier of News and Knowledge

Instrument of Trade and Industry

Promoter of Mutual Acquaintance

Of Peace and of Goodwill

Among Men and Nations;

and

WHEREAS, During the COVID-19 pandemic, the delivery of mail

by the USPS has enabled individuals to receive essential

products, such as face masks and disinfectants, that are

necessary for COVID-19 mitigation; and

WHEREAS, The USPS has also enabled individuals to stay in

touch with loved ones during this crisis; and

WHEREAS, The secure and timely delivery of mail by the USPS

has enabled voters to mail in their ballot and participate in

elections across the United States, including a primary election

in Pennsylvania; and

WHEREAS, Due to the COVID-19 crisis, many voters do not feel

safe casting an in-person ballot in the general election and

therefore plan to vote by mail; and

WHEREAS, Many states have expanded access to mail-in voting

in an effort to reduce the potential spread of COVID-19 at in-

person polling locations; and

WHEREAS, State vote-by-mail programs rely upon the integrity

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of the USPS, especially with respect to security and timely

delivery; and

WHEREAS, The finances of the USPS have been hamstrung by

various acts of the Congress of the United States; and

WHEREAS, The USPS is expected to generate enough revenue to

pay for itself; and

WHEREAS, The USPS has not generated a profit since the Great

Recession began in 2007; and

WHEREAS, The current postmaster general of the United States,

Louis DeJoy, has served in the position since June 2020, and is

the first postmaster general in two decades who did not rise

through the agency's ranks; and

WHEREAS, Immediately after his appointment as postmaster

general, Mr. DeJoy announced an "operational pivot" which

includes eliminating overtime for many workers and mandating

that late-arrival mail be left behind by mail carriers and

delivered the next day; and

WHEREAS, Data from the American Postal Workers Union, which

represents approximately 200,000 postal workers, shows that

nearly 20% of work completed by mail handlers, city carriers and

postal drivers is completed in overtime; and

WHEREAS, In light of the USPS's deficit, these operational

changes were ostensibly made to cut costs and reduce the

agency's deficit; and

WHEREAS, Many groups have expressed concern that these

changes will have the effect of slowing the delivery of mail;

and

WHEREAS, Many State vote-by-mail programs require that

ballots be postmarked or delivered by a certain date, or the

ballot will not be counted; and

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WHEREAS, Any delay in the processing of mail may result in

the nullification of legitimately cast ballots, thereby

depriving voters of their sacred right to have a voice in

government; and

WHEREAS, Operational changes at the USPS should not determine

whether a voter's ballot is counted in an election; therefore be

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives commemorate the

history and importance of the United States Postal Service; and

be it further

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge the Congress

of the United States to provide the necessary funding for the

USPS; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge the

postmaster general to reverse any operational change that has

the potential or actual effect of slowing the timely delivery of

mail; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives condemn, oppose

and firmly stand against any attempt to undermine or politicize

the crucial role of the USPS; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives condemn, oppose

and firmly stand against any attempt to alter the USPS or the

services it provides for partisan advantage; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to

each of the presiding officers of Congress, each member of the

Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation and each member of the

Postal Service Board of Governors.

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