[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4236 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4236

 To provide for the protection and the integrity of the United States 
                                 mail.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 15, 2007

  Mr. Lynch introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the protection and the integrity of the United States 
                                 mail.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Mail Network Protection Act of 
2007''.

SEC. 2. MAIL NETWORK PROTECTION.

    Section 404 of title 39, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (d) and (e) as subsections 
        (e) and (f), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following:
    ``(d)(1) The Postal Service may not enter into any contract 
described in paragraph (2) without first satisfying the requirements of 
paragraph (3).
    ``(2) A contract described in this paragraph is any contract 
providing for mail processing, mail handling, or surface transportation 
of mail, if such contract would, for any 12-month period, involve the 
equivalent of 50 or more workyears of work that would otherwise be 
performed by career postal employees within a recognized bargaining 
unit or cost the Postal Service $5,000,000 or more.
    ``(3)(A) Before entering into a contract described in paragraph (2) 
for services that would otherwise be performed by career postal 
employees within a recognized bargaining unit, the Postal Service shall 
first notify the exclusive representative of such unit (or each such 
unit) of its intent and, if requested, shall meet and bargain with the 
exclusive representative (in accordance with the provisions of chapter 
12 relating to collective bargaining) with respect to the proposed 
contract.
    ``(B) If no agreement is reached within 60 days after collective 
bargaining commences, either party may invoke the dispute resolution 
procedures set forth in subsection (c) of section 1207, which 
subsection shall thereupon apply in accordance with its terms.
    ``(4) Any contract described in paragraph (2) which is not entered 
into in accordance with the requirements of paragraph (3) shall be void 
ab initio.''.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall apply with respect to any 
contract entered into on or after the date of the enactment of this 
Act.
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