[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 2361-2362]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1210
                   PREVENT CLOSING POSTAL FACILITIES

  (Mr. HIGGINS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)

[[Page 2362]]


  Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, like many Members of our body, I 
represent a community with a postal facility that has been slated for 
closure. In Buffalo, 700 workers stand to lose their jobs if the United 
States Postal Service goes forward with the closure of the William 
Street mail processing facility. The good news is there is legislation 
that could have an immediate impact.
  My friend and colleague, Representative Steve Lynch, has introduced 
H.R. 1351, which would recalculate the Postal Service's pension 
funding, easing the budget strains that necessitate this drastic 
facility closure proposal. Last week I sent a letter, along with my 
western New York colleagues, Representative Louise Slaughter and 
Representative Kathy Hochul, urging Republican leadership to bring this 
bill to the floor for immediate consideration. Madam Speaker, this 
legislation is bipartisan and currently has 228 cosponsors, more than 
half the House.
  Though broader reforms will be needed, this bill is what will keep 
the Postal Service afloat in the short term. It's time for Congress to 
step up, put aside politics, and do what's right for small business, 
working families, and postal customers nationwide.

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