Government affairs

Legislative Updates

Week in Review (January 21-25)

The House and Senate were in session this week, negotiating an end to the longest shutdown in modern history. The week ended with a deal to fully reopen the government for the first time since December 22, 2018, funding the shuttered departments through February 15, giving lawmakers three weeks to negotiate a long-term deal with the White House.

Federal employees are expected to receive full compensation for their missed pay thanks to S. 24, which was signed into law Jan 16, but it is unclear yet if federal contractors will receive their missed pay. S.162 was introduced to provide compensation to affected contractors, but the bill has yet to receive a vote.

During the shutdown, NALC stood alongside other federal employees and unions here in DC, joining in the marches, rallies, and stand-ins to demand an end to the shutdown. Through the collective action of working people, the longest government shutdown in modern history was brought to an end, albeit temporarily. As part of the Federal-Postal Coalition, NALC sent letters to the House, Senate, and White House encouraging an end to the shutdown (all viewable here).

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform (OR), the main investigative committee that has jurisdiction over the U.S. Postal Service and other federal agencies, announced its membership for the 116th Congress this week. Led by Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-MD), the committee will include a mix of members carried over from the 115th Congress as well as new members, including freshmen. View the full list here.

Other News

On Friday, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) introduced the Federal Civilian Workforce Pay Raise Fairness Act of 2019 (H.R. 790), which would raise civilian federal employee pay by 2.6 percent across-the-board, putting it in line with military pay raises. This legislation would not impact letter carriers however, as postal employees bargain collectively over pay, separate from other federal employees.

Resolutions

House Resolution 23 (H. Res. 23) – Door Delivery
Status: Introduced by Reps. Susan Davis (D-CA) and Peter King (R-NY)
Co-sponsors: 13 (10 Democrat – 3 Republicans)

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of door delivery for all business and residential customers.

House Resolution 33 (H. Res. 33) – Anti-privatization
Status: Introduced by Reps. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Rodney Davis (R-IL)
Co-sponsors: 81 (74 Democrat – 7 Republicans)

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the United States Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the Federal Government and is not subject to privatization.

House Resolution 54 (H. Res. 54) – Six-day Delivery
Status: Introduced by Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Sam Graves (R-MO)
Co-sponsors: 22 (21 Democrats – 2 Republicans)

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of its six-day mail delivery service.

House Resolution 60 (H. Res. 60) – Service Standards
Status: Introduced by Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
Co-sponsors: 6 (3 Democrats – 3 Republicans)

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to restore service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012.

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