Government affairs

On March 21, Utah Governor Gary Herbert (R) signed into law S.B. 65, a postal facilities and government services bill that authorizes state agencies to provide select services through rural post offices.

As a result, post offices in Utah will soon be able to provide state services such as public high speed Wi-Fi access; fishing, hunting, and trapping permits; online access to make appointments or exchange documents with the Department of Workforce Service and the Department of Motor Vehicles; and more.

The bill was a collaborative effort driven by the Utah State Association of Letter Carriers, whose members engaged directly with their partners on the federal, state and local levels to help make this happen, creating a partnership that demonstrated how these services are important to Utahans and by working directly with House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), State Senator Karen Maynes (D), and local unions and interest groups.

Passing legislation at any level can be difficult, but Utah's letter carriers demonstrated that it can be done regardless of the poltical climate. This example of success reinforces the notion that “all politics is local.” NALC members should continue to work within their own states to identify our friends, allies and champions to see where we can make a positive impact to strengthen the U.S. Postal Service.