HF 4514

as introduced - 91st Legislature (2019 - 2020) Posted on 04/28/2020 01:09pm

A resolution
urging Congress to ensure that the United States Postal Service remains an independent
establishment of the federal government and is not subject to privatization.

WHEREAS, the United States Postal Service is a constitutionally mandated service per article
I, section 8, clause 7, of the United States Constitution; and

WHEREAS, the United States Postal Service is consistently the highest rated agency of the
federal government in nonpartisan opinion polls; and

WHEREAS, postal employees are dedicated public servants who do more than process and
deliver the nation's mail, they are integral parts of our communities and often respond first in
situations involving health, safety, and crime in those communities; and

WHEREAS, the United States Postal Service is self-sustaining and does not receive taxpayer
funding, relying solely on revenue derived from the sale of postal services and products; and

WHEREAS, the United States Postal Service is the nation's second-largest employer of
military veterans and its more than 500,000 employees are at the center of the $1.4 trillion mailing
industry, employing a total of 7.5 million Americans; and

WHEREAS, the United States Postal Service serves the needs of 157 million business and
residential customers at least six days a week, and connects the country's rural, suburban, and urban
communities; and

WHEREAS, privatization of the United States Postal Service would result in higher prices
and reduced services for its customers, especially in rural communities; and

WHEREAS, privatization of the United States Postal Service would jeopardize the booming
e-commerce sector and cripple a major part of the nation's critical infrastructure; NOW,
THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota that it urges the President
and the Congress of the United States to take all appropriate measures to ensure that the United
States Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the federal government and not
subject to privatization.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State of the State of Minnesota is directed
to prepare copies of this memorial and transmit them to the President of the United States, the
President and the Secretary of the United States Senate, the Speaker and the Clerk of the United
States House of Representatives, the chair of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs, the chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Minnesota's
Senators and Representatives in Congress.