The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives has released the calendar for the week of July 9th and H.R. 2309, the Postal Reform Act, is not on the agenda. As noted previously, the next step for H.R.2309 will come when the House Committee on Rules will meet to consider under what rules debate will occur on the floor and may determine which amendments the House will consider when debating the bill. It is possible that the Rules committee could meet early this week to allow consideration of H.R. 2309 on what appears to be a vote free day on Wednesday, July 11th. However, that meeting is unlikely to be held until a manager’s amendment to H.R.2309 is completed and circulated. As major stakeholders who support H.R. 2309′s approach had not seen the text of this amendment as of Friday, it would appear that the chance of any action on postal reform this week is slim.
Monday, July 9th
On Monday, the House will meet at 2:00 p.m. for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30 p.m.
Legislation Considered Under Suspension of the Rules:
1) H.R. 4155 – Veteran Skills to Jobs Act (Sponsored by Rep. Jeff Denham / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)
2) H.R. 4114 – Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2012 (Sponsored by Rep. Jon Runyan / Veterans’ Affairs Committee)
3) H.R. 4367 – To amend the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to limit the fee disclosure requirement for an automatic teller machine to the screen of that machine (Sponsored by Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer / Financial Services Committee)
4) H.R. 5892 – Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2012 (Sponsored by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers / Energy and Commerce Committee)
5) H.R. 6019 – Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Reauthorization and the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act of 2012, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee / Judiciary Committee)
6) S. 1959 – Haqqani Network Terrorist Designation Act of 2011 (Sponsored by Sen. Richard Burr / Judiciary Committee)
7) S. 2061 – Former Charleston Naval Base Land Exchange Act of 2012 (Sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Graham / Judiciary Committee)
Tuesday, July 10th
On Tuesday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for morning hour and 12:00 p.m. for legislative business.
Begin Consideration of H.R. __ – Repeal of Obamacare Act (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Eric Cantor / Energy and Commerce Committee / Ways and Means Committee / Education and the Workforce Committee)
Wednesday, July 11th
On Wednesday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for morning hour and 12:00 p.m. for legislative business.
Thursday, July 12th
On Thursday, the House will meet at 9:00 a.m. for legislative business. Last votes expected no later than 3:00 p.m.
Complete Consideration of H.R. __ – Repeal of Obamacare Act (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Eric Cantor / Energy and Commerce Committee / Ways and Means Committee / Education and the Workforce Committee)
H.R. 4402 – National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act of 2012, Rules Committee Print (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Mark Amodei / Natural Resources Committee / Judiciary Committee)
Friday, July 13
On Friday, the House is not in session.
I am really dissappointed in Congress these days no matter what side is running the show they are not doing what they were sent there to DC to do for the American people and no matter whether you are a Democrat or a Republican these people are not looking out for our best interest these day and are very weak. Lets get to work and pass a Postal Bill and do it right and stop all of you worrying about politics. It seems all there worrying about is getting relected and not what we send them there to get done. Do your job right or please do us a favor go home.
Some of them are doing their job.
Mitch McConnell for one. Despite his oath of office, he stated that his number one goal was to make Obama a one term president. Easy job to do, just stonewall and say no to anything and everything that comes up before the legistlature. Mission accomplished!! Or is it?!
the facist liar republicans led by commandant ISSA need to start using some integrity . California voters need to get Issa out.
The key to getting ANYTHING done in today’s political climate is holding a majority of seats in both houses of Congress. The White House being the same party is nice but a veto can be overridden with a large enough majority. How else do you think they were able to muscle through the Affordable Care Act? The Dems held ALL three branches of government for TWO years. They used their political clout enacting healthcare and spending trillions of dollars on stimulus packages and bailouts. Think Solyndra. Then the midterm elections gave control of the House to the GOP to rein in all the waste and cut the deficit. The folks elected lost their nerve and allowed the debt ceiling to continue to climb. Watch for them all to be turned out this November. The parties most likely will continue this stalemate morass for many years to come. The 51% of working folks want to see some tax relief and the 49% on the receiving end don’t want it to stop. But it is unsustainable as is, so something will eventually grind to a halt. The USPS may be able to drag along awhile but the relief column may never arrive.
Now with Congress in limbo on bill and vacation mode, PMG will announce the APWU and ? VER.
Latest rumor on the postal blogs is an early out for clerks July 20,2012 with an incentive. Heard anything?
No but I will check it out
The names of Republican politicans will be etched in history with their vote on postal reform. Will it be because they voted the way of their constituents want and keep in tact the delivery standards and infrastructure of the Postal Service or will they go against the will of the people and disect it? Special interest groups should not out weigh the majority of the country. All eyes are on you. We will not forget the way you vote on this extremely important issue to our country. We will remember you in November!
Congress political action regarding the USPS accompolishes increased cost in overtime, failure to eliminate street delivery to 5 days and failure to close small community suburban offices within a 5-6 mile radius. Comparable to having 2 McDonalds side by side drawing from the same customer base. Wasted expense as many small community offices could be consolidated.This would result in eliminating cost as many small offices have postmasters with salaries from $63000-$72000 selling stamps and boxing mail. This results in millions of dollars nationwide which is an unnecessary cost as service would not be affected and savings would reduce cost to aid in revenue decreasing.
Just because Issa has made considerable profits as a business owner doesn’t qualify him to dictate how the Post Office should be run particularly when his solutions promoted as saving the Post Office, if enacted, would do the exact opposite.
If Issa wants to save the USPS he should look at what expenses can be deleted without disrupting the service.
#1. The Postal Accountable and Enhancement Act needs to be rescinded. In 2006 the PAEA ,signed by Bush, mandated that the USPS fund 75 years of retiree health benefits in 10. As the USPS was solvent before the PAEA (HR6407) was passed it stands to reason that the USPS would once again become solvent if this law was rescinded.
#2. Overpayments the USPS has made to the Civil Service Retirement Service should be returned.
#3. Overpayments the USPS made to FERS need to be retrieved.
#4. Charge more for delivering UPS parcels that UPS has the Post Office deliver to places they don’t.
#5. Adjust the ratio of managers to workers .
But Issa, in HR2309 hasn’t proposed that any of these things .
Issa’s solution is to cut the workforce by at least 100,000. Issa’s solution is to weaken the unions, so that Postal Workers’ wages and benefits would depend on a separate board when a contract wasn’t agreed upon by the USPS and a union.
This is a case where Issa’s cure would cause the death of the USPS as a public service and have it revived as a business with lower paid workers, higher rates and less service.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09ybkkiH2Ho
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am4wez1ShPY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsPIY9bFFZY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-chx0j3_8IU
S1789, sponsored by Lieberman, would cut 100,000 jobs with the USPS when we don’t need to have more unemployed workers. S1789 would decrease compensation for injured workers and end it for those over 65, when we don’t need to take away compensation or lower compensation for injured workers.It would weaken the unions which promote a “living wage” at a time when we don’t need to add more people to the “working poor”, S1789 would close smaller post offices (some have already closed),and slow mail delivery by closing 200+ distribution centers.
In 2006 Congress voted to have the USPS fund 75 years of retiree health benefits in 10 amounting to 5.5 Billion a year.
Saddled with funding 5.5 Billion a year that had nothing to do with mail delivery, the USPS could no longer have it’s revenue =costs as it had done until 2005.
If this bill is passed or HR2309 the USPS will end up virtually privatized with lower wages and benefits for it’s workers,a scaled down and overworked workforce, more mail services contracted out, less services for the public including encouragement of curbside service in place of home delivery.
Let’s see, sen. lindsey graham’s “former charleston naval baseland exchange act of 2012″ was more important than puting the postal reform act on the floor. Republicants suk.
any word on the july 20th early out/incentive offer for clerks?
rumor says $20,000.
makes sense, since postmasters and mailhandlers already had offers….
carriers, it seems to me,would be offered after the new year.
No Word on any rumors. It all depends on 1) the USPS, APWU and NALC working out a number of issues relating to alternative job oppotunities for clerks and in particular NTFT clerks; and 2) mail volume. My sense is that mail volume this fall, and in particular election related mail will be so high that the USPS will be reluctant to part with clerks unless they think they can find temporary employees to fill in for them.