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91_SR0085
LRB9106225CBcbA
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The citizens of the State of Illinois, as
3 residents of the "Crossroads of America", have a strong
4 economic interest in efficient and economical interstate
5 commerce; and
6 WHEREAS, The universal mail delivery historically
7 provided by the United States Postal Service has played and
8 will continue to play a major role in the growth and
9 development of Illinois; and
10 WHEREAS, The citizens of Illinois should have the ability
11 to choose from among a variety of methods and vendors for
12 shipping and receiving goods aside from universal mail
13 delivery; and
14 WHEREAS, The United States Postal Service, an agency of
15 the federal government, has and continues to enjoy
16 exclusivity in universal delivery, including first-class mail
17 and certain bulk mail services that generate surplus funds
18 back to the Postal Service; and
19 WHEREAS, The United States Postal Service has in recent
20 years expanded its activities beyond its core mission of
21 universal mail to include many competitive and non-postal
22 related business products and services, such as consumer
23 goods, telephone calling cards, and cellular towers, in
24 direct competition with Illinois private-sector enterprises;
25 and
26 WHEREAS, The United States Postal Service has used
27 surplus revenues from universal mail delivery to support its
28 expansion into these competitive private-sector enterprises
29 and non-postal activities; and
30 WHEREAS, These competitive and non-postal activities of
31 the United States Postal Service do not contribute to the
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1 quality of universal mail delivery; and
2 WHEREAS, The United States Postal Service, an agency of
3 the federal government, enjoys unfair and non-competitive
4 advantages in the marketplace over private-sector enterprises
5 due to its ability to maintain lower prices for competitive
6 products through the surpluses generated from universal mail
7 delivery and its ability to set the rates of private-sector
8 competitors; and
9 WHEREAS, The United States Postal Service, an agency of
10 the federal government, enjoys many marketplace advantages
11 not available to private sector enterprises, including
12 exemption from State and local taxes, parking fees, local
13 zoning ordinances, vehicle use taxes, vehicle licensing fees,
14 and other local government regulations; and
15 WHEREAS, These exemptions enjoyed by the United States
16 Postal Service deprive Illinois State and local governments
17 of needed revenue and fees to offset the effect of the United
18 States Postal Service operation on highways, law enforcement,
19 and air quality; and
20 WHEREAS, The Postal Rate Commission does not have binding
21 authority over the actions or activities of the United States
22 Postal Service related to setting postal rates, entering new
23 business sectors, or using surplus revenues from first-class
24 mail to compete with the private sector; therefore, be it
25 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIRST GENERAL
26 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we hereby call on the
27 United States Congress, particularly the members from the
28 Illinois Congressional delegation, to introduce and pass
29 legislation in the 106th Congress to strengthen the oversight
30 power and the authority of the Postal Rate Commission, to
31 include subpoena power to examine all records and financial
32 data of the Postal Service in order to make informed
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1 decisions on postal rate increases, pricing actions, and
2 product offerings; jurisdiction and final approval authority
3 on all domestic and international postal rate adjustments;
4 and authority over all competitive and non-postal business
5 endeavors, including all products and services outside the
6 scope of universal mail service; and be it further
7 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
8 forwarded to the President pro tempore of the United States
9 Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of
10 Representatives, the members of the Illinois Congressional
11 delegation, and the Director of the Department of Revenue.