[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 144 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 144

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that bonuses for 
managerial personnel of the United States Postal Service should not be 
  awarded in any year in which the Postal Service anticipates that it 
  will operate at a deficit or in which a general increase in postal 
rates has been requested, has gone into effect, or is likely to become 
                               effective.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 17, 2001

 Mr. Jones of North Carolina submitted the following resolution; which 
           was referred to the Committee on Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that bonuses for 
managerial personnel of the United States Postal Service should not be 
  awarded in any year in which the Postal Service anticipates that it 
  will operate at a deficit or in which a general increase in postal 
rates has been requested, has gone into effect, or is likely to become 
                               effective.

Whereas the United States Postal Service paid out $280,000,000 in bonuses to 
        managerial personnel in fiscal year 2000;
Whereas the Postal Service suffered a loss of $199,000,000 in fiscal year 2000, 
        and projects that it will have losses of $2,000,000,000 to 
        $3,000,000,000 in fiscal year 2001;
Whereas the amount paid by the Postal Service in bonuses to managerial personnel 
        in fiscal year 2000 represented only a fraction of the total bonus 
        amounts that were in fact awarded to such personnel in that fiscal year, 
        with the balance often to be paid out in subsequent years (including, in 
        some cases, after retirement);
Whereas managerial personnel of the Postal Service may receive compensation up 
        to the rate for level I of the Executive Schedule, which is greater than 
        the rate of pay for a Federal judge and equal to the rate of pay for the 
        head of an Executive department;
Whereas, by receiving the balance of one's bonus after retirement, some postal 
        managers are able to circumvent even that statutory limitation;
Whereas the Inspector General of the United States Postal Service has testified 
        that postal bonus payments have increased from 16 percent of net income 
        in fiscal year 1996 to 325 percent of net income in fiscal year 2000;
Whereas the justification for postal bonuses is increased productivity;
Whereas the Comptroller General of the United States has testified that the 
        Postal Service has not demonstrated an ability to sustain even modest 
        productivity gains;
Whereas Postal Service productivity has increased by only 11 percent over 30 
        years and, during the period from 1990 to 1998, actually decreased by 
        0.6 percent, while nongovernmental productivity grew by 7 percent during 
        that same period;
Whereas the Postal Service received an overall 4.6 percent postal rate increase 
        effective January 7, 2001, and some postal categories were required to 
        pay increases of as much as 15 percent;
Whereas, on February 6, 2001, the Postal Service suggested that it will seek an 
        additional 15 to 20 percent increase in postal rates, including an 
        increase of as much as 30 percent in some postal categories; and
Whereas the Inspector General of the United States Postal Service has testified 
        that, at a time when the Postal Service is requesting further rate 
        increases, it is projecting negative net income: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
bonuses for managerial personnel of the United States Postal Service 
should not be awarded in any year in which the Postal Service 
anticipates that it will operate at a deficit or in which a general 
increase in postal rates has been requested, has gone into effect, or 
is likely to become effective.
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