Bennet Applauds Senate Passage of Bipartisan Legislation to Address Postal Service Issues for Colorado Mountain and Rural Communities

Statement

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet released the following statement applauding U.S. Senate passage of the bipartisan Postal Service Reform Act to address the United States Postal Service's (USPS) financial strain and improve service and operations across Colorado and the country:

"Coloradans depend on the Postal Service to receive their prescriptions and Social Security checks, connect with loved ones, and cast their ballots. Senate passage of the Postal Service Reform Act will provide USPS with financial stability to support more reliable delivery and service, especially in Colorado's mountain and rural communities."

Last month, Bennet urged U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to bring the legislation to the Senate floor as soon as possible to address challenges facing USPS in Colorado. USPS plays an especially critical role in Colorado, which was one of the first states in America to adopt universal vote by mail. The bill now heads to President Joe Biden's desk to be signed into law.

The Postal Service Reform Act will eliminate the retiree health care prefunding requirement, and integrate postal worker retirees' health care with Medicare. Together, these two reforms will create $45.9 billion in savings for the Postal Service over the next ten years. The bill requires the Postal Service to maintain its standard of delivering at least six days a week, and improve transparency of Postal Service operations to both customers and Congress.

The bill also includes a provision for the Postal Service to partner with state, local, and tribal governments to offer non-postal services -- including the sale of hunting and fishing licenses. In 2012, Bennet sponsored an amendment to allow rural post offices to issue social security cards, hunting licenses, and fishing licenses to attempt to make rural post offices more profitable.

Source