Harkin bill forces postal service review
By Christian Richardson, Journal staff writer | Posted: Saturday, January 28, 2006
While on the Senate floor Friday, U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin successfully included language in the Postal Reform Bill that would force the U.S. Postal Service to review the concerns of businesses and communities affected by mail facilities consolidations, a Harkin aide said.
Friday's language falls on the heels of a Siouxland delegation that traveled to Washington D.C., to meet with Harkin, D-Iowa, U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, and Bill Galligan, senior vice president of operations for the Postal Service.
At Thursday's meeting local leaders learned that they likely would have a chance to respond to a postal study that threatens to close the Sioux City Mail Processing and Distribution Center, which could be consolidated to Sioux Falls.
Postal union leaders have raised concerns over delivery delays and a loss of some 100 Sioux City postal jobs if the U.S. Postal Service's feasibility study resulted in a consolidation to Sioux Falls.
Harkin has taken on the fight to keep the Sioux City processing center in Iowa by addressing postal officials and including language in the Postal Reform Bill, said Maureen Knightly, his press secretary.
"He was able to include language in this bill that would require the U.S. Postal Service to provide full information, and to take fully into account the concerns of businesses and communities that are affected by proposed consolidations of postal service facilities prior to making these decisions," Knightly said. "So that the community does not hear about it after it happens and that they can provide input."
While the language was included in the bill and not stripped Friday, it still has two big hurdles left. It first must be passed in the Senate, then it must be passed by the U.S. House Representatives/Senate conference committee.
"That bill has not passed yet and of course we would need to make sure that that language would stay in the final bill," Knightly said.
Friday's language falls on the heels of a Siouxland delegation that traveled to Washington D.C., to meet with Harkin, D-Iowa, U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, and Bill Galligan, senior vice president of operations for the Postal Service.
At Thursday's meeting local leaders learned that they likely would have a chance to respond to a postal study that threatens to close the Sioux City Mail Processing and Distribution Center, which could be consolidated to Sioux Falls.
Postal union leaders have raised concerns over delivery delays and a loss of some 100 Sioux City postal jobs if the U.S. Postal Service's feasibility study resulted in a consolidation to Sioux Falls.
Harkin has taken on the fight to keep the Sioux City processing center in Iowa by addressing postal officials and including language in the Postal Reform Bill, said Maureen Knightly, his press secretary.
"He was able to include language in this bill that would require the U.S. Postal Service to provide full information, and to take fully into account the concerns of businesses and communities that are affected by proposed consolidations of postal service facilities prior to making these decisions," Knightly said. "So that the community does not hear about it after it happens and that they can provide input."
While the language was included in the bill and not stripped Friday, it still has two big hurdles left. It first must be passed in the Senate, then it must be passed by the U.S. House Representatives/Senate conference committee.
"That bill has not passed yet and of course we would need to make sure that that language would stay in the final bill," Knightly said.
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