Senate bill would delay postal service consolidations
2:06 PM
Posted: Wednesday, December 19, 2007
WASHINGTON -- A provision in a just-passed Senate appropriations bill would prevent the U.S. Postal Service from consolidating mail processing services until it meets certain requirements.
In a news release, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said the provision would require the USPS to further review its decision to close Sioux City's mail processing center and consolidate it with Sioux Falls.
The provision is nonbinding, but such recommendations are normally followed by federal agencies, Harkin said in the release.
A recent Government Accountability Office report showed that USPS consolidation decisions are not based on consistent information, that site-specific data is not used and that the delivery impacts of consolidation are not measured, Harkin said.
"Consolidation of the Sioux City mail processing facility should not proceed until the USPS implements a fair, accurate and transparent method for making these decisions," Harkin said. "USPS must be forthcoming with communities targeted for consolidation about how their postal service will be affected and what costs it will impose on the community."
The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for a vote.
Read more of this story in Thursday's Journal and online at siouxcityjournal.com.
In a news release, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said the provision would require the USPS to further review its decision to close Sioux City's mail processing center and consolidate it with Sioux Falls.
The provision is nonbinding, but such recommendations are normally followed by federal agencies, Harkin said in the release.
A recent Government Accountability Office report showed that USPS consolidation decisions are not based on consistent information, that site-specific data is not used and that the delivery impacts of consolidation are not measured, Harkin said.
"Consolidation of the Sioux City mail processing facility should not proceed until the USPS implements a fair, accurate and transparent method for making these decisions," Harkin said. "USPS must be forthcoming with communities targeted for consolidation about how their postal service will be affected and what costs it will impose on the community."
The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for a vote.
Read more of this story in Thursday's Journal and online at siouxcityjournal.com.
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