By Burnam                                              H.R. No. 953
         76R16122 SMC-F                           
                                 R E S O L U T I O N
 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 nonpostal-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 nonpostal-related businesses, which has increased
1-13     operating costs at the expense of improved services for the
1-14     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 antitrust 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
2-11     first-class mail to subsidize enterprises that compete with the
2-12     private sector; now, therefore, be it
2-13           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas
2-14     Legislature hereby call on the United States Congress, particularly
2-15     the members of 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 before consideration of any postal rate
2-20     increase or pricing action that could affect products also offered
2-21     by private sector entities; final approval authority on all postal
2-22     rate adjustments, including international and parcel delivery
2-23     rates; authority over all nonpostal business endeavors, including
2-24     all products and services outside the scope of universal mail
2-25     service; and, be it further
2-26           RESOLVED, That the chief clerk of the house of
2-27     representatives forward an official copy of this resolution to the
 3-1     president of the senate and the speaker of the house of
 3-2     representatives of the United States Congress and to all members of
 3-3     the Texas delegation to the congress with the request that it be
 3-4     officially entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to the
 3-5     Congress of the United States of America.