Congress passes long-awaited postal reform legislation

The Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, HR 3076, cleared the U.S. Senate today, sending legislation to President Biden that would give the U.S. Postal Service relief from a 16-year-old requirement to pre-fund decades into the future. The mandate, unlike requirements for other federal agencies, beset the Postal Service with more than $58 billion in unpaid obligations. The bill passed by a vote of 79-19 with many rural Republicans voting with Democrats in favor. President Biden is expected to sign the bill. The PRSA would roll back the pre-funding mandate of 2006, shift about 40,000 postal workers onto Medicare parts B and D for their primary health care benefit, and require USPS to continue its practice of delivering mail and packages as part of one integrated network, rather than splitting up costs as some package service competitors wanted.