[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 608 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 608

     Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the 
   Department of Defense should rectify deficiencies in the military 
  postal system to ensure that members of the Armed Forces stationed 
 overseas are able to receive and send mail in a timely manner as well 
as receive and send election ballots in time to be counted in the 2004 
                               elections.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 28, 2004

 Mr. Forbes submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the 
   Department of Defense should rectify deficiencies in the military 
  postal system to ensure that members of the Armed Forces stationed 
 overseas are able to receive and send mail in a timely manner as well 
as receive and send election ballots in time to be counted in the 2004 
                               elections.

Whereas the members of the Armed Forces who are currently serving in very 
        dangerous regions of the world deserve a modernized military postal 
        system capable of improving the delivery and tracking of mail to United 
        States forces serving in remote locations;
Whereas the current system relies on outmoded and labor intensive manual sorting 
        processes that result in undue delays and the inability of the 
        Department of Defense to track mail and determine the timeliness of mail 
        delivery;
Whereas the manual sorting of mail intended for deployed members of the Armed 
        Forces unnecessarily requires hours of labor from many troops, which 
        could be used for other, more critical, duties if automation were used;
Whereas the very least our Nation can do for the members of our Armed Forces who 
        are deployed halfway around the world and risking their lives to protect 
        our freedoms is to ensure that they are able to receive the comfort of a 
        letter from those waiting at home;
Whereas mail destined for deployed members of the Armed Forces that is delayed 
        for long periods of time, or not delivered at all, negatively affects 
        the morale of our deployed forces and their families at home;
Whereas the members of our Armed Forces have an unquestionable right to vote in 
        the upcoming election, and the military postal system must not 
        disenfranchise any military absentee voters because of delays in 
        transmitting voting materials;
Whereas with the current military postal system it is not possible to determine 
        the rate of ``Undeliverable as Addressed'' mail, it is therefore not 
        possible to guarantee that all United States forces wishing to vote will 
        be able to do so;
Whereas according to the recent General Accounting Office Report entitled 
        ``Operation Iraqi Freedom: Long-standing Problems Hampering Mail 
        Delivery Need to be Resolved,'' many of the same problems that plagued 
        the military postal system during Operation Desert Storm have continued 
        unabated and are now being experienced in Operation Iraqi Freedom, more 
        than 12 years later;
Whereas according to the same General Accounting Office report, the Department 
        of Defense does not have the ability to adequately assess the timeliness 
        of mail and election ballot delivery because it does not have a 
        reliable, accurate system in place;
Whereas according to the same General Accounting Office report, more than half 
        of sampled members of the Armed Forces were dissatisfied with mail 
        delivery, many waiting 4 weeks or longer to receive mail;
Whereas recent samplings of mail intended for deployed members of the Armed 
        Forces shows that a percentage far exceeding the standard set for 
        domestic mail is ``Undeliverable as Addressed'' and indicates that a 
        large portion of our deployed troops are not receiving their mail;
Whereas the Military Postal Service Agency does not have the authority to 
        formulate and effectively implement a joint service solution to the mail 
        problems in the Iraq Theatre and the Department of Defense has not 
        appointed a single agency to address military postal matters;
Whereas the recent court action in the United States District Court for the 
        Middle District of Pennsylvania, which granted the government's request 
        to extend Pennsylvania's deadline for receipt of ballots from qualified 
        overseas voters, correctly recognizes that mail operations can 
        significantly impact voting rights and, in addition, is sufficient 
        forewarning that the military mail system needs to be resolved before 
        the next election; and
Whereas for at least 52 years, reformers have been attempting to improve the 
        ability of the members of our Armed Forces to vote, as evidenced by a 
        letter from President Harry S. Truman to Congress, dated from 1952, 
        which clearly echoes the challenges we face: ``Many of those in uniform 
        are serving overseas, or in parts of the country distant from their 
        homes. They are unable to return to their States either to register or 
        to vote. Yet these men and women who are serving their country and in 
        many cases risking their lives, deserve above all others to exercise the 
        right to vote in this election year. At a time when these young people 
        are defending our country and its free institutions, the least we at 
        home can do is to make sure that they are able to enjoy the rights they 
        are being asked to fight to preserve.'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of House of Representatives that--
            (1) it is in the interest of the United States to 
        immediately resolve long-standing military mail delivery 
        problems so that our troops may receive mail from their 
        families when they most need it;
            (2) it is in the interest of the United States to 
        immediately resolve long-standing military mail delivery 
        problems so that our troops are not disenfranchised in the 2004 
        election;
            (3) the Secretary of Defense should establish a system that 
        expedites the delivery of election ballots to the members of 
        our Armed Forces so that they may be counted in the election;
            (4) the Secretary of Defense should establish a system that 
        accurately tracks military postal transit times; and
            (5) the House of Representatives stands ready to assist in 
        resolving these issues.
                                 <all>