Ensuring Accurate Postal Rates Act
Bill: H.R.8781 | Sponsor: Rep. Connolly, Gerald E. (D-VA)
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Ensuring Accurate Postal Rates Act
This bill directs the Postal Regulatory Commission to review and potentially modify the market-dominant ratemaking system rules in light of the USPS Fairness Act, which canceled unpaid U.S. Postal Service obligations.

To direct the Postal Regulatory Commission to review and modify market-
 dominant ratemaking system rules as a result of the enactment of the 
               USPS Fairness Act, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Ensuring Accurate 
Postal Rates Act''.
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The review of the market-dominant ratemaking system 
        conducted by the Postal Regulatory Commission (in this Act 
        referred to as the ``Commission'') pursuant to section 
        3622(d)(3) of title 39, United States Code, resulted in the 
        Commission's Order Number 5763 (submitted on November 30, 2020) 
        adopting final rules for the system of regulating rates and 
        classes for market dominant products.
            (2) Such final rules rely in major part upon an earlier 
        finding of the Commission that the then-existing system of 
        market-dominant ratemaking had not enabled the United States 
        Postal Service to achieve medium- and long-term financial 
        stability.
            (3) The Commission's findings as to medium- and long-term 
        financial stability rested upon its calculation of deficits 
        (largely relating to retiree benefit obligations) accumulated 
        on the Postal Service's books of account.
            (4) Section 102(c)(1) of the USPS Fairness Act (section 102 
        of Public Law 117-108) canceled the unpaid Postal Service 
        obligations under section 8909a of title 5, United States Code, 
        thereby removing an essential basis of such final rules.
            (5) Such final rules also did not adequately take into 
        account the benefit to the Postal Service's financial condition 
        from the growth of its competitive products and competitive 
        revenues or other improvements in its financial condition 
        during and following the Covid-19 pandemic.

SEC. 2. POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION REVIEW AND MODIFICATION OF MARKET-
              DOMINANT RATEMAKING SYSTEM RULES.

    (a) Review.--Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Commission shall, pursuant to subsection (d)(3) of 
section 3622 of title 39, United States Code, and subject to the 
requirements, terms, and conditions of such section, conduct a review 
of the market-dominant ratemaking system in effect immediately prior to 
the adoption of Commission Order Number 5763 to determine whether such 
system can achieve the objectives of subsection (b) of such section 
3622, taking into account the factors in subsection (c) of such 
section.
    (b) Rules Carrying Out System.--Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act--
            (1) if under the review conducted in subsection (a) the 
        Commission determines that such system requires modified rules 
        or alternative rules to achieve such objectives, the Commission 
        shall issue such proposed final rules as are necessary to carry 
        out such system; or
            (2) if under the review conducted in subsection (a) the 
        Commission determines that such system does not require 
        modified rules or alternative rules to achieve such objectives, 
        the Commission shall issue such proposed final rules as are 
        necessary to carry out such system.
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