PRINTER'S NO. 659
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
63
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY DeLUCA, HILL-EVANS, SANCHEZ, D. WILLIAMS,
LONGIETTI, GALLOWAY, T. DAVIS, HARKINS, CIRESI, HOWARD, LEE,
NEILSON, FREEMAN AND O'MARA, FEBRUARY 26, 2021
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, FEBRUARY 26, 2021
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
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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
Declaration of Independence was signed and continued as
postmaster general until November 7, 1776; and
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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, On February 20, 1792, President George Washington
signed into law the Postal Service Act, which established the
Post Office Department; 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 first section of the Postal Reorganization Act
states in part that, "The United States Postal Service shall be
operated as a basic and fundamental service provided to the
people by the Government of the United States, authorized by the
Constitution, created by act of Congress, and supported by the
people"; 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 millions of voters to mail in their ballot and
participate in elections across the United States; and
WHEREAS, The finances of the USPS have been hamstrung by
various acts of the Congress of the United States; and
WHEREAS, The USPS does not receive tax revenue directly but
is instead 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, Shortfalls in USPS revenue may hamper the ability of
the USPS to deliver mail in under-served rural and urban
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regions; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania commemorate the history and
importance of the United States Postal Service; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the United
States to provide the necessary funding for the USPS; 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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