By Reyna of Bexar                                     H.R. No. 1003
         76R16566 ELG-F                           
                                 R E S O L U T I O N
 1-1           WHEREAS, The United States Postal Service, since its
 1-2     organization in the early days of our nation, has been the sole
 1-3     provider of first class mail and bulk mail services to millions of
 1-4     American homes and businesses; and
 1-5           WHEREAS, The United States Postal Service is currently the
 1-6     nation's largest civilian employer, with more than 765,000 career
 1-7     employees, and has in recent years expanded its activities beyond
 1-8     its core mission of universal mail service to include many
 1-9     non-postal-related business products and services, such as consumer
1-10     goods, telephone calling cards, and cellular towers, in direct
1-11     competition with Texas private businesses; and
1-12           WHEREAS, The United States Postal Service, an agency of the
1-13     federal government, enjoys many marketplace advantages not
1-14     available to private sector enterprises, including exemption from
1-15     state and local taxes, fees, and government regulations, which
1-16     deprives Texas state and local governments of needed revenue and
1-17     fees to offset the effect of the United States Postal Service's
1-18     operations on highways, law enforcement, and air quality; and
1-19           WHEREAS, The United States Postal Service, although an agency
1-20     of the federal government, is accountable to no agency or branch of
1-21     the federal government except the Postal Rate Commission, which
1-22     does not have binding authority over the actions or activities of
1-23     the United States Postal Service related to setting postal rates,
1-24     entering new business sectors, or using surplus revenues from first
 2-1     class mail to subsidize enterprises that compete with the private
 2-2     sector; now, therefore, be it
 2-3           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas
 2-4     Legislature hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United
 2-5     States, particularly the members of the Texas delegation to the
 2-6     congress, to introduce and pass legislation in the 106th Congress
 2-7     to strengthen the oversight power and the authority of the Postal
 2-8     Rate Commission, to include subpoena power for the Postal Rate
 2-9     Commission to examine all records and financial data before
2-10     consideration of any postal rate increase or pricing action that
2-11     could affect products also offered by private sector entities;
2-12     final approval authority on all postal rate adjustments, including
2-13     international and parcel delivery rates; and authority over all
2-14     non-postal business endeavors, including all products and services
2-15     outside the scope of universal mail service; and, be it further
2-16           RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
2-17     copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
2-18     the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of
2-19     the senate of the United States Congress, and to all members of the
2-20     Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this
2-21     resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a
2-22     memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.