00                      HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 29                                                                     
01 Urging the United States Congress to pass the Postal Service Reform Act of 2021; urging                                 
02 the United States Congress to pass the Postal Banking Act; and urging the United States                                 
03 Postal Service to continue delivering mail six days a week under historic delivery                                      
04 standards.                                                                                                              
05 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
06       WHEREAS the United States Postal Service is critically important to the well-being                                
07 of communities throughout the state and provides a lifeline to rural communities in the state;                          
08 and                                                                                                                     
09       WHEREAS the United States Postal Service experiences unique challenges in this                                    
10 state because many communities are accessible only by air or water; and                                                 
11       WHEREAS the United States Postal Service delivers more than 100,000,000 pounds                                    
12 of consumer goods to rural communities using the bypass mail program; and                                               
13       WHEREAS the United States Postal Service holds a universal service obligation that                                
14 mandates a minimum level of service; and                                                                                
15       WHEREAS the United States Postal Service has raised rates on First-Class Mail by                                  

01 6.8 percent and slowed expected delivery of mail systemwide; and                                                        
02       WHEREAS the United States Postal Service has lost $69,000,000,000 over the past                                   
03 11 fiscal years and has unsustainable unfunded liabilities that are twice the amount of its                             
04 annual revenue; and                                                                                                     
05       WHEREAS the United States Postal Service has cut its service hours statewide and                                  
06 has had difficulty maintaining adequate staffing; and                                                                   
07       WHEREAS the United States Postal Service provides a vital service to residents of                                 
08 the state; and                                                                                                          
09       WHEREAS action is necessary to preserve the United States Postal Service and the                                  
10 services it provides for residents of the state; and                                                                    
11       WHEREAS time is of the essence; and                                                                               
12 WHEREAS S. 1720, the Postal Service Reform Act of 2021, will release the United                                         
13 States Postal Service from prefunding its employee pension plan and combine Medicare with                               
14 health care benefits of retired United States Postal Service workers; and                                               
15 WHEREAS S. 4614, the Postal Banking Act of 2020, would provide more income for                                          
16 the United States Postal Service by allowing the United States Postal Service to offer                                  
17 checking and savings accounts, check cashing, low-fee automated teller machines, money                                  
18 transfers, bill payment, and United States Postal Service debit cards;                                                  
19 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully urges the United                                          
20 States Congress to pass S. 1720, the Postal Service Reform Act of 2021; and be it                                       
21 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully urges the                                               
22 United States Congress to reintroduce and pass S. 4614, the Postal Banking Act of 2020; and                             
23 be it                                                                                                                   
24 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully urges the                                               
25 United States Postal Service to meet historic delivery standards by maintaining mail delivery                           
26 six days a week.                                                                                                        
27 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the                                   
28 U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable Charles Schumer, President of the U.S. Senate;                             
29 Louis DeJoy, Postmaster General and CEO of the United States Postal Service; and the                                    
30 Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the                                         
31 Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.