[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 23, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S6554]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HARKIN (for himself, Mr. Casey, Mr. Bingaman, Mrs. Murray, 
        and Mr. Leahy):
  S. 1457. A bill to provide for the protection of mail delivery on 
certain postal routes, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, since it was created the U.S. Postal 
Service has provided trusted, reliable delivery to tens of millions of 
households throughout the country. Today, the USPS stands as the second 
largest employer in the country with over 700,000 employees and is the 
most efficient postal service in the world. Last year, the Postal 
Accountability and Enhancement Act was passed and signed into law, 
ensuring the sustainability of the USPS for years to come.
  However, recent decisions by the Postal Service have put the success 
and reliability of mail delivery in jeopardy. Postal delivery managers 
are now being encouraged to contract out delivery services for all new 
deliveries, of which there are approximately 1.8 million per year.
  Outsourcing the mailman bypasses the process that ensures that only 
qualified people handle America's mail, leaving open the possibility 
that convicted felons, identity thieves, or other undesirable workers 
could have access to the mail stream.
  Furthermore, it limits the ability of the Postal Service to prevent, 
investigate, and prosecute mail theft, mail fraud, and other illegal 
uses of the mail.
  The USPS employs dedicated postal employees who earn solid middle-
class wages and have health benefits and pension plans. The quality of 
service and reliability that the USPS has been known for is threatened 
if our mail carriers are replaced by low-paid, short-term workers.
  This is why I am introducing the Mail Delivery Protection Act of 
2007. This bill would prevent the USPS from contracting out the 
delivery of mail to postal patrons to private individuals and firms.
  Each day millions of sensitive materials, including financial 
statements, credit cards, Social Security checks, passports, and 
ballots, pass through the mail stream. We cannot afford to allow the 
safe delivery of these personal, private documents to be granted to the 
lowest bidder.
  In 2006, 379 Members of the House of Representatives voted against a 
pilot program testing the feasibility of contracted delivery.
  However, postal management has increasingly chosen to contract out 
the delivery of mail, therefore outsourcing their core service 
function. A fancy restaurant would not contract out its chefs to a 
cheap fast-food chain to save money. Why should the Post Office 
outsource its delivery?
  We must remember that this is the U.S. Postal Service. This bill will 
ensure that the safety and reliability we have all come to know from 
our local mail carriers will continue.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 1457

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

     SECTION 1. MAIL DELIVERY PROTECTION.

       (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Mail 
     Delivery Protection Act of 2007''.
       (b) Mail Delivery Protection.--Section 5212 of title 39, 
     United States Code, is amended--
       (1) by inserting ``(a)'' before ``The Postal Service may''; 
     and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(b)(1) Except as provided under paragraph (2), the Postal 
     Service may not enter into any contract under this section 
     with any motor carrier or other person for the delivery of 
     mail on any route with 1 or more families per mile.
       ``(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1)--
       ``(A) any contract described under that paragraph in effect 
     on the date of enactment of the Mail Delivery Protection Act 
     of 2007--
       ``(i) shall remain in effect until terminated under the 
     terms of such contract or as otherwise provided by law; and
       ``(ii) may be renewed 1 or more times; and
       ``(B) service on a rural route may be converted to contract 
     delivery service when such route no longer serves a minimum 
     of 1 family per mile.''.
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