By Burnam, Reyna of Dallas                           H.C.R. No. 128
                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-1           Whereas, the United States Postal Service holds a monopoly on
 1-2     first class mail and bulk mail services, and routinely generates
 1-3     annual multi-million dollar surpluses from these services; and
 1-4           Whereas, the United States Postal Service has in recent years
 1-5     expanded its activities beyond its core mission of universal mail
 1-6     service to include many non-postal related business products and
 1-7     services, such as consumer goods, telephone calling cards and
 1-8     cellular towers, in direct competition with Texas private sector
 1-9     enterprises; and
1-10           Whereas, the United States Postal Service has used surplus
1-11     revenues from universal mail delivery (first class postage) to
1-12     expand into these non-postal related businesses, which have
1-13     increased operating costs at the expense of improved services for
1-14     the delivery of regular mail to the citizens of Texas; and
1-15           Whereas, the United States Postal Service, an agency of the
1-16     federal government, is not subject to anti-trust laws and enjoys
1-17     monopoly advantages in the marketplace over private sector
1-18     enterprises, due to its ability to maintain artificially low prices
1-19     for competitive products through subsidization with first class
1-20     postage surpluses and its ability to set the rates of private
1-21     sector competitors; and
1-22           Whereas, the United States Postal Service, an agency of the
1-23     federal government, enjoys many marketplace advantages not
1-24     available to private sector enterprises, including exemption from
 2-1     state and local taxes, fees and government regulations, which
 2-2     deprives Texas state and local governments of needed revenue and
 2-3     fees to offset the effect of the United States Postal Service
 2-4     operations on highways, law enforcement and air quality; and
 2-5           Whereas, the United States Postal Service, although an agency
 2-6     of the federal government, is accountable to no agency or branch of
 2-7     the federal government except the Postal Rate Commission, which
 2-8     does not have binding authority over the actions or activities of
 2-9     the United States Postal Service related to setting postal rates,
2-10     entering new business sectors, or using surplus revenues from first
2-11     class mail to subsidize enterprises that compete with the private
2-12     sector; now, therefore, be it
2-13           RESOLVED, that the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas
2-14     hereby calls on the United States Congress, particularly the
2-15     Members from the Texas Congressional delegation, to introduce and
2-16     pass legislation in the 106th Congress to strengthen the oversight
2-17     power and the authority of the Postal Rate Commission, to include
2-18     subpoena power with the Postal Rate Commission to examine all
2-19     records and financial data prior to consideration of any postal
2-20     rate increase or pricing action which could affect products also
2-21     offered by private sector entities; final approval authority on all
2-22     postal rate adjustments, including international and parcel
2-23     delivery rates; authority over all non-postal business endeavors,
2-24     including all products and services outside the scope of universal
2-25     mail service; and, be it further
2-26           RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official
2-27     copy of this resolution to the president of the senate and the
 3-1     speaker of the house of representatives of the United States
 3-2     Congress, and to all members of the Texas delegation to the
 3-3     congress with the request that it be officially entered in the
 3-4     Congressional Record as a memorial to the congress and other
 3-5     officials of the federal government.