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.