Postal Service Act of 1979
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs.
(Measure passed House, amended, roll call #452 (350-14)) Postal Service Act of 1979 - Amends the Postal Reorganization Act to replace the Board of Governors with a presidentially-appointed Postmaster General. Sets forth the authority of the Postmaster General. Authorizes the Postal Rate Commission to make final decisions on rates, fees, mail classification, and other specified matters. Establishes an employment preference with respect to the position of postmaster of a post office in a delivery area which has a population of 25,000 or less. Includes as preferred qualifications for such position: (1) one year of work as an employee of such post office; and (2) one year of residence within such delivery area. Directs the Postal Service: (1) to publish in the Federal Register the qualifications for appointment to a postmaster position; and (2) to provide notice of any available postmaster position to the patrons of the affected post office. Authorizes appropriations to assist the Postal Service in maintaining public services. Directs the Postal Service to submit to the appropriate committees of Congress an annual report on research and development activities conducted. Directs the Postmaster General to submit an annual report to the President and to specified congressional committees on Postal Service operations. Extends the period for the phasing in of rates for certain classes of mail. Directs the Commission to prepare and submit to the President an annual budget of its expenses. Authorizes the Postal Service to establish size and weight limitations for mail matter by following the same procedures for making mail classification changes. Permits schools, libraries, and nonprofit organizations to mail books, films, sound recordings, and other types of educational materials at the "library" rate. Includes teaching aids, guides, and catalogs as eligible for such rate. Directs the Postal Services, to the maximum extent feasible, to purchase domestically produced alcohol or alcohol-gasoline blends containing at least ten percent domestically produced alcohol for use for its motor vehicles. Requires the Postal Service: (1) in consultation with the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, to study the extent to which trains operated by the Corporation may be used to transport mail; (2) to utilize such trains to transport mail; and (3) to report to Congress on the results and implementation of recommendations of the study. Stipulates that this Act shall not be construed to affect any current or future collective bargaining agreement, or the authority of the Postal Service to bargain collectively.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed House amended" stage on September 7, 1979. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on September 10, 1979: Referred to Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
CHARLES WILSON (D-CA) introduced it on January 15, 1979. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on January 15, 1979, 17452 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17214 days ago, on September 10, 1979.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers