Bill Text: NJ AR181 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges Congress to provide immediate financial assistance to United States Postal Service.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-10-08 - Reported out of Assembly Committee, 2nd Reading [AR181 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-AR181-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman JOANN DOWNEY
District 11 (Monmouth)
SYNOPSIS
Urges Congress to provide immediate financial assistance to United States Postal Service.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution respectfully urging Congress to provide immediate financial assistance to the United States Postal Service.
Whereas, The United States Postal Service and its more than 600,000 employees serve the needs of 157 million business and residential customers six days a week, maintains an affordable and universal network, and connects the rural, suburban, and urban communities of the United States; and
Whereas, The Postal Service is consistently one of the highest rated agencies of the federal government in non-partisan opinion polls, and is the second largest employer of veterans in the United States; and
Whereas, The employees of the Postal Service are dedicated public servants who not only process and deliver mail, but also serve as the eyes and ears of communities by responding first in situations involving health, safety, and crime in those communities; and
Whereas, Unfortunately, as a result of the public health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19, the Postal Service is in need of urgent financial relief; and
Whereas, The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that was passed in March included a provision allowing the Postal Service to borrow up to $10 billion from the U.S. Treasury Department; however, the Treasury Secretary has sought to impose stringent terms and conditions on the loan; and
Whereas, In May, the United States House of Representatives passed the Heath and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act that included a provision to direct $25 billion to the Postal Service; however, the United States Senate has not voted on the bill; and
Whereas, According to the Postal Service, the agency will run out of cash by the end of September if Congress does not provide immediate financial assistance; and
Whereas, A halt in postal service operations would have grave consequences across the country and threaten the delivery of essential goods and services and democracy itself; and
Whereas, The Postal Service delivers more than a billion shipments of prescription medications and other critical supplies each year, and that number is expected to grow rapidly as a result of COVID-19; and
Whereas, Along with local e-commerce, critical communications by federal, State, and local government, such as vote-by-mail and absentee ballots and U.S. Census forms, are delivered by the Postal Service throughout the country; and
Whereas, The agency is also the only delivery service that goes everywhere in the United States, not just places with denser populations; and
Whereas, Without the Postal Service, rural communities, where millions of Americans are sheltering in place, could be cut off from crucial provisions and government communications; and
Whereas, Postal Service employees are already feeling the impact of the agency's fiscal challenges that have been exacerbated by the current public health and economic crisis; and
Whereas, Postal Service employees are being asked to alter certain mail delivery practices and the agency is seeking to prohibit overtime and curtail the use of other measures local postmasters use to ameliorate staffing shortages; and
Whereas, To support millions of residents who depend on the Postal Service, including agency employees, Congress must act now and provide immediate financial assistance to prevent the Postal Service, a critical infrastructure of the United States, from collapsing; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House respectfully urges Congress to provide immediate financial assistance to the United States Postal Service to protect the agency from becoming insolvent as a result of the public health and economic crises caused by COVID-19.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, to the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and to every member of Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
This resolution respectfully urges Congress to provide immediate financial assistance to the United States Postal Service.
Unfortunately, the Postal Service is in need of urgent financial relief because of the public health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that was passed in March included a provision allowing the Postal Service to borrow up to $10 billion from the U.S. Treasury Department; however, the Treasury Secretary has sought to impose stringent terms and conditions on the loan. Additionally, in May, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Heath and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act that included a provision to direct $25 billion to the Postal Service; however, the U.S. Senate has not voted on the bill. According to the Postal Service, the agency will run out of cash by the end of September if Congress does not act now and provide immediate financial assistance.
A halt in postal service operations would have grave consequences across the country and threaten the delivery of essential goods and services and democracy itself. The Postal Service delivers more than a billion shipments of prescription medications and other critical supplies each year, and that number is expected to grow rapidly because of COVID-19. Along with local e-commerce, critical communications by federal, State, and local government, such as vote-by-mail and absentee ballots and U.S. Census forms, are delivered by the Postal Service throughout the country. The agency is also the only delivery service that goes everywhere in the United States, not just places with denser populations. Without the Postal Service, rural communities, where millions of Americans are sheltering in place, could be cut off from crucial provisions and government communications.
In order to prevent a critical infrastructure of the United States from collapsing, this House respectfully urges Congress to provide immediate financial assistance to Postal Service and to support the millions of residents who depend on the Postal Service, including over 600,000 agency employees.