II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4174 

To provide emergency appropriations to the United States Postal Service 

to cover losses related to the COVID–19 crisis and to direct the Board 

of Governors of the United States Postal Service to develop a plan 

for ensuring the long term solvency of the Postal Service. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 2, 2020 

Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. DAINES, Mr. JONES, and Mr. 

TESTER) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

A BILL 

To provide emergency appropriations to the United States 

Postal Service to cover losses related to the COVID– 

19 crisis and to direct the Board of Governors of the 

United States Postal Service to develop a plan for ensuring the long term solvency of the Postal Service. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Postal Service Emer5 gency Assistance Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) By law, the Postal Service operates as ‘‘a 

2 basic and fundamental service provided to the people 

3 by the Government of the United States’’ and must 

4 serve rural, suburban, and urban areas throughout 

5 the United States. 

6 (2) The Postal Service is a lifeline for busi7 nesses and consumers across the United States, es8 pecially those in remote and rural areas of the coun9 try, delivering business correspondence, educational, 

10 cultural and scientific information, critical prescrip11 tions and medications, household items, and com12 mercial goods with affordable, reliable service not 

13 fewer than 6 days per week. 

14 (3) The Postal Service helps small businesses 

15 stay connected with their customers no matter where 

16 they are located or where their customers live. 

17 (4) Since 1970, the Postal Service has been 

18 charged with operating as a self-sustaining entity 

19 and its operations are funded from postage paid for 

20 mail and shipping and not primarily by taxpayer 

21 funds. 

22 (5) The Government Accountability Office re23 ports that the Postal Service has lost approximately 

24 $78,000,000,000 from fiscal year 2007 through 


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1 2019 due primarily to declining mail volumes and 

2 rising costs. 

3 (6) Package delivery volumes have more than 

4 doubled since 2010, but the Postal Service faces 

5 competition in this area. 

6 (7) The Postal Service is not on a sustainable 

7 path and needs reform to be viable over the long 

8 term. 

9 (8) Reforms must be focused on the long term 

10 solvency of the Postal Service while ensuring the 

11 greatest benefit to the public and 630,000 employees 

12 of the Postal Service. 

13 (9) By law, the authority for operation and 

14 strategic direction of the Postal Service, an inde15 pendent establishment of the executive branch, is 

16 delegated to the Board of Governors of the Postal 

17 Service, including the Postmaster General. 

18 (10) On May 6, 2020, the Board of Governors 

19 of the Postal Service selected Louis DeJoy as the 

20 75th Postmaster General of the United States. 

21 (11) The new Postmaster General should be 

22 given the opportunity to review the operations and 

23 finances of the Postal Service and, in coordination 

24 with the rest of the Board of Governors of the PostVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:33 Jul 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4174.IS S4174

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1 al Service, propose a plan to ensure its long term vi2 ability. 

3 (12) At the same time, the COVID–19 pan4 demic has significantly contributed to the decline in 

5 market dominant mail volumes and revenues while 

6 increasing costs, putting additional stress on the fi7 nancial situation of the Postal Service. 

8 (13) Now more than ever, affordable mail and 

9 package delivery provided by the Postal Service is a 

10 lifeline for people in the United States, especially for 

11 seniors and others living in remote and rural areas. 

12 (14) The critical services the Postal Service 

13 provides will play a fundamental part of the eco14 nomic recovery of the United States. 

15 (15) Congress should provide immediate emer16 gency appropriations to cover financial losses to the 

17 Postal Service caused by the COVID–19 pandemic 

18 in order to keep the Postal Service operating without 

19 interruptions in service and to give the new Post20 master General and the Board of Governors of the 

21 Postal Service time to formulate and propose to 

22 Congress a plan to ensure the long term viability of 

23 the Postal Service. 

24 (16) In addition, although Congress recognized 

25 the critical role the Postal Service plays by providing 


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1 $10,000,000,000 in borrowing authority in the 

2 CARES Act (Public Law 116–136; 134 Stat. 281) 

3 to address operating losses caused by the COVID– 

4 19 pandemic, clarification is required with respect to 

5 the terms and conditions imposed by the Secretary 

6 of the Treasury on any such borrowing. 

7 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

8 In this Act: 

9 (1) COVID–19.—The term ‘‘COVID–19’’ 

10 means the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID–19). 

11 (2) POSTAL SERVICE.—The term ‘‘Postal Serv12 ice’’ means the United States Postal Service. 

13 SEC. 4. EMERGENCY APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE POSTAL 

14 SERVICE TO COVER COVID–19 INDUCED 

15 LOSSES. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the Treas17 ury of the United States a fund to be known as the Postal 

18 Service COVID–19 Emergency Fund. 

19 (b) APPROPRIATIONS.—There is appropriated, out of 

20 any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, 

21 to the Postal Service COVID–19 Emergency Fund, 

22 $25,000,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 

23 2022, pursuant to this section: Provided, That such 

24 amount is designated by Congress as being for an emer25 gency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of 


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1 the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act 

2 of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(A)(i)). 

3 (c) CERTIFICATION.—The Postal Service shall certify 

4 in its quarterly and audited annual reports to the Postal 

5 Regulatory Commission under section 3654 of title 39, 

6 United States Code, and in conformity with the require7 ments of section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange 

8 Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78m, 78o(d)), any expenditures 

9 necessary to cover lost revenue or operational expenses re10 sulting from the COVID–19 pandemic. The Postal Service 

11 shall provide copies of these certified filings to the Senate 

12 Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Af13 fairs, and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform 

14 within 15 days of any filing with the Postal Regulatory 

15 Commission. 

16 (d) TRANSFER.—Within 15 days of any filing with 

17 the Postal Regulatory Commission, as referenced in sub18 section (c), the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer 

19 from the Postal Service COVID–19 Emergency Fund to 

20 the Postal Service Fund such amounts, up to 

21 $25,000,000,000 certified as expenditures necessary to 

22 cover lost revenue or operational expenses resulting from 

23 the COVID–19 pandemic, pursuant to subsection (c). This 

24 transfer authority is in addition to any other transfer au25 thority provided in this Act. Any amounts transferred to 


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1 the Postal Service Fund under this section may be used 

2 for such purposes as the Postal Service considers appro3 priate, pursuant to this section. 

4 (e) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT.—The Postal Serv5 ice, during the COVID–19 pandemic, shall prioritize the 

6 purchase of, and make available to all employees and fa7 cilities of the Postal Service, personal protective equip8 ment, including gloves, masks, and sanitizers, and shall 

9 conduct additional cleaning and sanitizing of Postal Serv10 ice facilities and delivery vehicles. 

11 SEC. 5. CLARIFICATION OF POSTAL SERVICE BORROWING 

12 AUTHORITY. 

13 Section 6001(b)(2) of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, 

14 and Economic Security Act (Public Law 116–136) is 

15 amended to read as follows: 

16 ‘‘(2) the Secretary of the Treasury shall lend up 

17 to the amount described in paragraph (1) at the re18 quest of the Postal Service subject to the terms and 

19 conditions of the note purchase agreement between 

20 the Postal Service and the Federal Financing Bank 

21 in effect on September 29, 2018.’’. 

22 SEC. 6. POSTAL SERVICE REFORM PLAN. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Postmaster General shall, in 

24 coordination with the rest of the Board of Governors of 


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1 the Postal Service, develop a plan to ensure the long-term 

2 solvency of the Postal Service. 

3 (b) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—No later than 270 

4 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Postal 

5 Service shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Secu6 rity and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, the Com7 mittee on Oversight and Reform of the House of Rep8 resentatives, and the Postal Regulatory Commission the 

9 plan required under this section, including recommenda10 tions for congressional action. 

11 (c) CONGRESSIONAL UPDATE.—Prior to submission 

12 of the plan required under subsection (b) and not later 

13 than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 

14 the Postal Service shall provide a briefing on the status 

15 of the plan to the Committee on Homeland Security and 

16 Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee 

17 on Oversight and Reform of the House of Representatives. 

Æ 


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