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H.R. 22 Gains Support from
Twenty-Five More U.S. Representatives

APWU Web News Article #056-09, May 8, 2009

Support continues to grow in Congress for much needed legislation to save the Postal Service from a crushing financial crisis.

H.R. 22 Presentation - PowerPoint 97-2003 version (2.5 MB) H.R. 22 Presentation - PowerPoint 2007 version (2.5 MB) H.R. 22 Presentation - PDF version (2.0 MB)

As of May 6, 299 members of the House of Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors of H.R. 22 [PDF], which would modify a provision of the 2006 postal “reform” law that needlessly drains the Postal Service of billions of dollars per year and has contributed to a financial crunch so severe that it threatens the viability of the nation's 235-year-old postal system.

The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 requires the USPS to spend more than $5 billion per year from 2006 through 2016 to “pre-fund” retiree healthcare benefits from its operating budget. No other federal agency is subject to this requirement.

Despite drastic cuts in work hours and other savings, in Fiscal Year 2008 the USPS suffered a net loss of $2.8 billion. The Postal Service could save as much as $3.5 billion a year through 2016 if this amendment to the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act were to become law, Postmaster General John E. Potter said in testimony before a Senate subcommittee early this year.

New Co-Sponsors

The representatives who became H.R. 22 co-sponsors since April 22 are:

Marsha Blackburn (TN-7) G. K. Butterfield (NC-1) Bill Cassidy (LA-6) Diana DeGette (CO-1) Michael F Doyle (PA-14) Bob Etheridge (NC-2) Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11) Al Green (TX-9) Martin Heinrich (NM-1)

Bob Inglis (SC-4) Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15) Christopher J. Lee (NY-26) John Lewis (GA-5) Doris O. Matsui (CA-5) John L. Mica (FL-7) Brad Miller (NC-13) Sue Wilkins Myrick (NC-9) Glenn C. Nye III (VA-2)

Ed Perlmutter (CO-7) Earl Pomeroy (ND) Bill Posey (FL-15) Allyson Y. Schwartz (PA-13) Bill Shuster (PA-9) Niki Tsongas (MA-5) Diane E. Watson (CA-33)

Call for Action

“I urge APWU members to contact their legislators and ask them to support the bill,” APWU President William Burrus said. “If your local has not yet contacted the U.S. representatives from your area, I urge you act now,” he added. “Thank those who have signed-on, and urge those who have not cosponsored the bill to do so.”

APWU Legislative & Political Department Myke Reid said that he expects a similar measure to be introduced soon in the Senate. “We need to be prepared to contact our senators, too,” he said, “to seek their support, and to press for swift action to save the Postal Service.”

Click here to see if your U.S. representative is a co-sponsor of H.R. 22. Click here to send a message to your legislators. Click here to view a PowerPoint slide show about H.R. 22.

[more H.R. 22 news]

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