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.