By Burnam H.C.R. No. 128
Line and page numbers may not match official copy.
Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E.
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;
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, indirect 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
2-1 Whereas, the United States Postal Service, an agency of the
2-2 federal government, enjoys many marketplace advantages not
2-3 available to private sector enterprises, including exemption from
2-4 state and local taxes, fees and government regulations, which
2-5 deprives Texas state and local governments of needed revenue and
2-6 fees to offset the effect of the United States Postal Service
2-7 operations on highways, law enforcement and air quality; and
2-8 Whereas, the United States Postal Service, although an agency
2-9 of the federal government, is accountable to no agency or branch of
2-10 the federal government except the Postal Rate Commission, which
2-11 does not have binding authority over the actions or activities of
2-12 the United States Postal Service related to setting postal rates,
2-13 entering new business sectors, or using surplus revenues from first
2-14 class mail to subsidize enterprises that compete with the private
2-15 sector; now, therefore, be it
2-16 RESOLVED, that the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas
2-17 hereby calls on the United States Congress, particularly the
2-18 Members from the Texas Congressional delegation, to introduce and
2-19 pass legislation in the 106th Congress to strengthen the oversight
2-20 power and the authority of the Postal Rate Commission, to include
2-21 subpoena power with the Postal Rate Commission to examine all
2-22 records and financial data prior to consideration of any postal
2-23 rate increase or pricing action which could affect products also
2-24 offered by private sector entities; final approval authority on all
2-25 postal rate adjustments, including international and parcel
3-1 delivery rates; authority over all non-postal business endeavors,
3-2 including all products and services outside the scope of universal
3-3 mail service; and, be it further
3-4 RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official
3-5 copy of this resolution to the president of the senate and the
3-6 speaker of the house of representatives of the United States
3-7 Congress, and to all members of the Texas delegation to the
3-8 congress with the request that it be officially entered in the
3-9 Congressional Record as a memorial to the congress and other
3-10 officials of the federal government.