Congress started the process yesterday that could lead to the most significant postal reform since 1971.
The Government Reform Postal Committee chaired by Rep. John McHugh (R-NY) held the first of three scheduled hearings on the proposals made last summer by the President’s Commission on the Postal Service.
Despite interruptions for roll calls, the zeal for reform was expressed by witnesses throughout the day. Comptroller General David M. Walker commented that “Congress needs to undertake as much as can be done as early as possible.”
But one witness, Postmaster General John A. Potter, threw a damper on the Commission’s suggestion that the existing Board of Governors be replaced by a postal board of directors.
The problem is that the three board members would be appointed by the President, and that they, in turn, would appoint the first eight independent board members. (The current law requires that no more than five postal governors may belong to the same party, Potter said.)
“This could result in a highly partisan board,” Potter said. “Moreover, the Senate’s current statutory role of advise and consent in connection with Board appointees would be eliminated.”
Potter also argued that the proposals on rate-setting would “remove the determination of how much money is needed to run the nation’s postal system from the operators
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