[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24121]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      EXPRESSING THE URGENCY OF PASSING POSTAL REFORM LEGISLATION

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                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 2004

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to comment on the 
urgency of passing meaningful postal reform legislation.
  A vibrant and healthy Postal Service is critical to the entire U.S. 
economy. The nation's mailing industry is an important primary and 
secondary employer, and contributes approximately $900 billion dollars, 
or about 8 percent of the nation's Gross Domestic Product. However, 
over the past few years, due to declining mail volume, and increased 
delivery costs, the Postal Service has accrued a tremendous debt. This 
debt leaves the Postal Service with no alternative but to raise postage 
rates, which they have done four times in the past five years.
  I have been a leader on postal reform for several years, and we have 
come a long way. During my tenure as Chairman of the Government Reform 
Committee, I pushed for significant postal reform legislation. In 2003, 
we passed the Postal Civil Service Retirement System Funding Reform 
Act. This was a positive step in the right direction, however, it was a 
temporary fix for a complex issue, and only staved off postage 
increases until 2006. Again, earlier this year, understanding the 
necessity of comprehensive postal reform legislation, the Government 
Reform Committee debated postal reform, and unanimously passed the 
Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, H.R. 4341, through a 
comprehensive and broad bi-partisan process.
  If this body fails to act within the next few months, double-digit 
postage rate increases are likely to be proposed in 2006. An increase 
of this size will undoubtedly lead to a reduction in First Class mail 
usage, which again would further threaten the financial stability of 
the Postal Service. A rate increase of this size will ultimately have 
many negative impacts, not only for the Postal Service, its employees, 
and the whole mailing industry, but also on the American public, and 
our nation's economy.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that it is vital that we pass meaningful 
postal reform legislation immediately, which will ensure the short-term 
health and long-term vitality of the Postal Service. If we fail to 
address this issue in a timely manner, we will be guilty of complacency 
by permitting an unfair, and heavily burdensome $3.5 billion tax hike 
on the American economy through increased postal rates.

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