[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 140 (Tuesday, September 20, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1661]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       INTRODUCTION OF THE FAIR AND EQUITABLE POSTAL SERVICE ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GWEN MOORE

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 20, 2011

  Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise with my colleague from 
Ohio, Marcia Fudge, to introduce the ``Fair and Equitable Postal 
Service Act.''
  We are all concerned about the fiscal crisis facing the United States 
Postal Service. This summer, the Postal Service released a list of some 
3600 post offices, branches, and stations that are under review for 
closure or consolidation. According to recent testimony by the 
Government Accountability Office, as many as 12,000 Postal Service 
retail facilities may be on the chopping block in the next few years.
  While Congress gave the Postal Service authority ``to determine the 
need for post offices, postal and training facilities and equipment, 
and to provide such offices, facilities . . . as it determines are 
needed,'' that same charge also requires that postal services be 
established ``of such character and in such locations, that postal 
patrons throughout the Nation will . . . have ready access to essential 
postal service.''
  The legislation we introduce today would give the Postal Service 
guidance as it works to balance those obligations in a way that ensures 
that these closures don't fall on the backs of the most vulnerable. It 
would require the Postal Service, as it considers closures, to 
specifically examine the needs and impacts of its closures on low-
income, elderly, and other populations that have the least means to 
access alternatives because of limited transportation options and 
internet access.
  For these populations, their local offices provide a range of 
services that they simply may not have the resources or ability to 
access elsewhere. The need for this bill was only reinforced yesterday 
with the release of a Census Bureau report which found that that the 
poverty rate increased in 2010. There were 46 million people in poverty 
last year. If you don't have enough money to pay for food and keep the 
lights on, what are the chances you have the income to pay for 
broadband to access postal services online?
  Further, this legislation would prevent any closures that would have 
a ``disproportionate, unreasonable, or undue burden on these 
populations.'' The impetus for this legislation was the proposal by the 
Postal Service to close 5 out of the 26 retail facilities in the 
Milwaukee area. Every one of the facilities under review are located in 
one portion of the city with high rates of poverty. If approved, these 
closures would effectively cut off postal services for residents in 
these communities.
  Too often decisions like these are driven by only one consideration: 
cutting costs. This bill sends a message to the Postal Service that it 
must consider the challenges faced by these populations when access to 
postal services is reduced.
  The Postal Service is a national service. It's trusted by the 
American public. It offers services that are a vital lifeline for all 
Americans at all income levels, ages, and stages in life. Congress 
mandated a nationwide postal service--not a two-tier system where post 
offices in high income areas are able to keep their lights on while 
those in inner-city and rural communities slowly fade away. I urge my 
colleagues to cosponsor this legislation.

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