H.R. 3076, the Postal Service Reform Act, eliminates direct financial liabilities of the United States Postal Service by requiring eligible Postal Service retirees to enroll in Medicare and repealing the requirement to prefund retiree health benefits. Additionally, H.R. 3076 requires transparency in Postal Service performance data, codifies aspects of the Postal Service’s operations, and requires additional reporting on and reviews of various facets of the Postal Service’s operations and finances.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
A number of factors have caused the Postal Service’s financial condition to deteriorate over the past decade, including a decline in first-class mail, expenses increasing more rapidly than revenues, and the requirement to pre-fund retiree health benefits. The Postal Service is expected to provide affordable, quality, and universal postal service to all parts of the country while remaining self-sufficient.