[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 155 (Tuesday, December 16, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6920-S6921]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petitions and memorials were laid before the Senate and 
were referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-364. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Michigan requesting the Congress of the United States to 
     prohibit the U.S. Postal Service from closing or 
     consolidating the mail processing and distribution center in 
     Lansing, Michigan; to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
     Governmental Affairs.

                       Senate Resolution No. 189

       Whereas, On January 5, 2015, the United States Postal 
     Service plans to close or consolidate the mail processing and 
     distribution center (P&DC) on Collins Road in Lansing; and

[[Page S6921]]

       Whereas, This plan would severely delay mail delivery; and
       Whereas, The delay of mail would negatively affect 
     residents and local businesses and harm the community; and
       Whereas, The closure is not in the public's best interest 
     and depends on a degradation of service standards that would 
     result in the virtual elimination of overnight mail delivery 
     throughout the country; and
       Whereas, According to 39 USC 101(a), federal law 
     stipulates: ``The Postal Service shall have as its basic 
     function the obligation to provide postal services to bind 
     the Nation together through personal, educational, literary, 
     and business correspondence of the people. It shall provide 
     prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons to all 
     areas and shall render postal services to all communities.''. 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate, That we hereby urge congressional 
     intervention to stop the proposal to close or consolidate the 
     Lansing mail processing and distribution center which will 
     cause the delay of mail and elimination of overnight delivery 
     of first-class mail; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the 
     United States House of Representatives, and the members of 
     the Michigan congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-365. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Michigan memorializing the Congress of the United States to 
     stop the U.S. Postal Service from closing and consolidating 
     the mail processing and distribution center in Kingsford, 
     Michigan; to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
     Governmental Affairs.

                       Senate Resolution No. 192

       Whereas, The United States Postal Service plans to close 
     the mail processing center in Kingsford, Michigan, and 
     consolidate services 100 miles away in Green Bay, Wisconsin. 
     The closure is scheduled to take effect on January 5, 2015; 
     and
       Whereas, The consolidation will severely delay mail 
     delivery and result in a degradation of postal service 
     standards by virtually eliminating overnight first-class mail 
     delivery in large portions of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The 
     Kingsford mail processing center is the only center serving 
     the entire Upper Peninsula. The consolidation will require 
     mail to travel up to 230 miles simply for processing and slow 
     current one-day, first-class mail service to two- or three-
     day service in the Upper Peninsula; and
       Whereas, This consolidation is not in the public's best 
     interest. For the past four years, the state of Michigan has 
     looked to the Upper Peninsula and its natural resources as a 
     means for sparking economic growth. This degradation of mail 
     service sends a negative message to developers and investors. 
     In addition, current Upper Peninsula business owners rely 
     greatly on the U.S. Postal Service for their mail and 
     shipping needs. The expected delays will negatively affect 
     these local businesses, particularly small businesses, and 
     residents; and
       Whereas, The inevitable delays in mail service run directly 
     counter to federal postal policy established by the U.S. 
     Congress. Section 101 of the Postal Reorganization Act of 
     1970 stipulates:
       ``The Postal Service shall have as its basic function the 
     obligation to provide postal services to bind the Nation 
     together through personal, educational, literary, and 
     business correspondence of the people. It shall provide 
     prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all 
     areas and shall render postal services to all communities.''
       It is difficult to conceive how this closure meets the U.S. 
     Postal Service's obligation to provide ``prompt, reliable, 
     and efficient services to patrons in all areas''. Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate, That we memorialize the Congress of 
     the United States to stop the U.S. Postal Service from 
     closing and consolidating the mail processing center in 
     Kingsford, Michigan; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the 
     United States House of Representatives, the members of the 
     Michigan congressional delegation, the Postmaster General of 
     the United States, and the Office of the Governor.

                          ____________________