Postal Civil Service Retirement System Funding Reform Act of 2003

Bill: 108-s-380
Sponsor: Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]
Introduced: 2003-02-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Accounting
Armed Forces and National Security
Budget surpluses
Civil service retirement
Congress
Congressional investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Economic forecasting
Economics and Public Finance
Executive compensation
Federal employees
Finance and Financial Sector
Financial statements
Fringe benefits
Government employees' health insurance
Government liability
Government paperwork
Government spending reductions
Government trust funds
Health
Inflation
Investment of public funds
Labor and Employment
Legislation
Military pensions
Payroll deductions
Planning
Postal service
Public debt
Retiree health benefits
Social Welfare
United States Postal Service
Valuation
Volunteer workers
Wages

Summary:
action_date: 2003-02-12
text: Postal Civil Service Retirement System Funding Reform Act of 2003 - Amends Federal civil service law to revise the formula for funding benefits under the Civil Service Retirement System for U.S. Postal Service employees, including Postal supplemental liability under the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund.
Mandates that savings accruing to the Postal Service as a result of this Act be used to reduce the postal debt as the Secretary of the Treasury shall specify.
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the savings accruing to the Postal Service as a result of this Act will be sufficient to allow the Postal Service to fulfill its commitment to hold postage rates unchanged until at least 2006; (2) because the Postal Service still faces substantial obligations related to postretirement health benefits for its current and former employees, some portion of those savings should be used to address the unfunded obligations; and (3) none of the savings should be used to pay bonuses to Postal Service executives.
action_date: 2003-04-01
text: Postal Civil Service Retirement System Funding Reform Act of 2003 - (Sec. 2) Amends Federal civil service law to revise the statutory formula for funding benefits under the Civil Service Retirement System for U.S. Postal Service employees (according to the model for funding the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS), using dynamic rather than static assumptions). Requires: (1) within the computation of the actuarial present value of future benefits, the full value of benefits attributable to military and volunteer service for Postal Service employees first employed after June 30, 1971, and a prorated share of the value of benefits attributable to military and volunteer service for Postal Service employees first employed before July 1, 1971; and (2) amortization schedules for liquidation of Postal supplemental pension benefit liability set with interest computed at the rate used in the most recent dynamic actuarial valuation of the Civil Service Retirement System.
(Sec. 3) Requires that savings accruing to the Postal Service as a result of the enactment of this Act be used to reduce the postal debt as the Secretary of the Treasury shall specify.
Instructs the Postal Service to include in certain mandatory reports to Congress the amount applied toward reducing the postal debt and the size of such debt before and after the application of this Act during the period covered by the report.
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the savings accruing to the Postal Service as a result of the enactment of this Act will be sufficient to allow the Postal Service to fulfill its commitment to hold postage rates unchanged until at least 2006; (2) because the Postal Service still faces substantial obligations related to postretirement health benefits for its current and former employees, some portion of those savings should be used to address the unfunded obligations; and (3) none of these savings should be used to pay bonuses to Postal Service executives.
Directs the Postal Service, after taking into consideration the report of the President's Commission on the United States Postal Service, to report to Congress and the President on how: (1) it proposes to address its obligations relating to unfunded postretirement health care costs of current and former postal employees; and (2) prior and future actuarial accrued costs for postretirement health care benefits and the amounts necessary to prefund those costs are treated for purposes of financial statement reporting and establishing rates of postage and fees for postal services.
Sets a deadline for the General Accounting Office to submit to certain congressional committees a written evaluation of certain Postal Service reports.
Requires the Postal Service to report periodically to specified congressional committees and the General Accounting Office any recommendations for the disposition of any surplus or future savings accruing to the Postal Service as a result of the enactment of this Act that consider whether and to what extent those future savings should be used to address: (1) debt repayment; (2) prefunding of postretirement healthcare benefits for current and former postal employees; (3) productivity and cost saving capital investments; (4) maintaining postal rate stability; and (5) any other matter.
Prohibits any Postal Service action to implement any such recommendation for the disposition of future savings until 90 days after submission of such report.
action_date: 2003-04-02
text: Postal Civil Service Retirement System Funding Reform Act of 2003 - (Sec. 2) Amends Federal civil service law to revise the statutory formula for funding benefits under the Civil Service Retirement System for U.S. Postal Service employees (according to the model for funding the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS), using dynamic rather than static assumptions). Requires: (1) within the computation of the actuarial present value of future benefits, the full value of benefits attributable to military and volunteer service for Postal Service employees first employed after June 30, 1971, and a prorated share of the value of benefits attributable to military and volunteer service for Postal Service employees first employed before July 1, 1971; and (2) amortization schedules for liquidation of Postal supplemental pension benefit liability set with interest computed at the rate used in the most recent dynamic actuarial valuation of the Civil Service Retirement System.
Directs the United States Postal Service, the Department of the Treasury, and the Office of Personnel Management each to prepare and submit to the President, Congress, and the General Accounting Office (GAO) by September 30, 2003, proposals detailing the extent to which the Department of the Treasury or the Postal Service should be responsible for funding benefits attributable to the military service of current and former Postal Service employees that, prior to enactment of this Act, were provided for under specified Federal civil service law. Requires GAO to evaluate and report on such proposals to specified congressional committees.
(Sec. 3) Requires that savings accruing to the Postal Service and attributable to FY 2003 and 2004 be used to reduce the postal debt.
Prohibits the Postal Service from incurring additional debt to offset the use of the savings to reduce the postal debt in FY 2003 and 2004.
Requires that: (1) savings attributable to FY 2005 be used to continue holding postage rates unchanged and to reduce the postal debt; and (2) savings attributable to any fiscal year after FY 2005 be considered Postal Service operating expenses and, until otherwise provided for by law, be held in escrow and not be obligated or expended.
Instructs the Postal Service to include in certain mandatory reports to Congress the amount applied toward reducing the postal debt and the size of such debt before and after the application of this Act during the period covered by the report.
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the savings accruing to the Postal Service as a result of the enactment of this Act will be sufficient to allow the Postal Service to fulfill its commitment to hold postage rates unchanged until at least 2006; (2) because the Postal Service still faces substantial obligations related to postretirement health benefits for its current and former employees, some portion of those savings should be used to address the unfunded obligations; and (3) none of the savings should be used to pay bonuses to Postal Service executives.
Directs the Postal Service to submit to the President and Congress its proposal detailing how any savings accruing to it as a result of the enactment of this Act, which are attributable to any fiscal year after FY 2005, should be expended. Requires GAO to evaluate such proposal for specified congressional committees, and Congress, after receiving both proposal and evaluation, to revisit the question of how the savings should be used.
Requires the Postmaster General to report to Congress how the Postal Service proposes to use any surplus determined by the Office of Management and Budget as of the end of FY 2025, or any earlier date by which all postal employees under the Civil Service Retirement System will have retired.
action_date: 2003-04-08
text: 
(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on April 2, 2003. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Postal Civil Service Retirement System Funding Reform Act of 2003 - (Sec. 2) Amends Federal civil service law to revise the statutory formula for funding benefits under the Civil Service Retirement System for U.S. Postal Service employees (according to the model for funding the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS), using dynamic rather than static assumptions). Requires: (1) within the computation of the actuarial present value of future benefits, the full value of benefits attributable to military and volunteer service for Postal Service employees first employed after June 30, 1971, and a prorated share of the value of benefits attributable to military and volunteer service for Postal Service employees first employed before July 1, 1971; and (2) amortization schedules for liquidation of Postal supplemental pension benefit liability set with interest computed at the rate used in the most recent dynamic actuarial valuation of the Civil Service Retirement System.
Directs the United States Postal Service, the Department of the Treasury, and the Office of Personnel Management each to prepare and submit to the President, Congress, and the General Accounting Office (GAO) by September 30, 2003, proposals detailing the extent to which the Department of the Treasury or the Postal Service should be responsible for funding benefits attributable to the military service of current and former Postal Service employees that, prior to enactment of this Act, were provided for under specified Federal civil service law. Requires GAO to evaluate and report on such proposals to specified congressional committees.
(Sec. 3) Requires that savings accruing to the Postal Service and attributable to FY 2003 and 2004 be used to reduce the postal debt.
Prohibits the Postal Service from incurring additional debt to offset the use of the savings to reduce the postal debt in FY 2003 and 2004.
Requires that: (1) savings attributable to FY 2005 be used to continue holding postage rates unchanged and to reduce the postal debt; and (2) savings attributable to any fiscal year after FY 2005 be considered Postal Service operating expenses and, until otherwise provided for by law, be held in escrow and not be obligated or expended.
Instructs the Postal Service to include in certain mandatory reports to Congress the amount applied toward reducing the postal debt and the size of such debt before and after the application of this Act during the period covered by the report.
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the savings accruing to the Postal Service as a result of the enactment of this Act will be sufficient to allow the Postal Service to fulfill its commitment to hold postage rates unchanged until at least 2006; (2) because the Postal Service still faces substantial obligations related to postretirement health benefits for its current and former employees, some portion of those savings should be used to address the unfunded obligations; and (3) none of the savings should be used to pay bonuses to Postal Service executives.
Directs the Postal Service to submit to the President and Congress its proposal detailing how any savings accruing to it as a result of the enactment of this Act, and which are attributable to any fiscal year after FY 2005, should be expended. Requires GAO to evaluate such proposal for specified congressional committees, and Congress, after receiving both proposal and evaluation, to revisit the question of how the savings should be used.
Requires the Postmaster General to report to Congress how the Postal Service proposes to use any surplus determined by the Office of Management and Budget as of the end of FY 2025, or any earlier date by which all postal employees under the Civil Service Retirement System will have retired.
action_date: 2003-04-23
text: 
(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on April 2, 2003. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Postal Civil Service Retirement System Funding Reform Act of 2003 - (Sec. 2) Amends Federal civil service law to revise the statutory formula for funding benefits under the Civil Service Retirement System for U.S. Postal Service employees (according to the model for funding the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS), using dynamic rather than static assumptions). Requires: (1) within the computation of the actuarial present value of future benefits, the full value of benefits attributable to military and volunteer service for Postal Service employees first employed after June 30, 1971, and a prorated share of the value of benefits attributable to military and volunteer service for Postal Service employees first employed before July 1, 1971; and (2) amortization schedules for liquidation of Postal supplemental pension benefit liability set with interest computed at the rate used in the most recent dynamic actuarial valuation of the Civil Service Retirement System.
Directs the United States Postal Service, the Department of the Treasury, and the Office of Personnel Management each to prepare and submit to the President, Congress, and the General Accounting Office (GAO) by September 30, 2003, proposals detailing the extent to which the Department of the Treasury or the Postal Service should be responsible for funding benefits attributable to the military service of current and former Postal Service employees that, prior to enactment of this Act, were provided for under specified Federal civil service law. Requires GAO to evaluate and report on such proposals to specified congressional committees.
(Sec. 3) Requires that savings accruing to the Postal Service and attributable to FY 2003 and 2004 be used to reduce the postal debt.
Prohibits the Postal Service from incurring additional debt to offset the use of the savings to reduce the postal debt in FY 2003 and 2004.
Requires that: (1) savings attributable to FY 2005 be used to continue holding postage rates unchanged and to reduce the postal debt; and (2) savings attributable to any fiscal year after FY 2005 be considered Postal Service operating expenses and, until otherwise provided for by law, be held in escrow and not be obligated or expended.
Instructs the Postal Service to include in certain mandatory reports to Congress the amount applied toward reducing the postal debt and the size of such debt before and after the application of this Act during the period covered by the report.
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the savings accruing to the Postal Service as a result of the enactment of this Act will be sufficient to allow the Postal Service to fulfill its commitment to hold postage rates unchanged until at least 2006; (2) because the Postal Service still faces substantial obligations related to postretirement health benefits for its current and former employees, some portion of those savings should be used to address the unfunded obligations; and (3) none of the savings should be used to pay bonuses to Postal Service executives.
Directs the Postal Service to submit to the President and Congress its proposal detailing how any savings accruing to it as a result of the enactment of this Act, and which are attributable to any fiscal year after FY 2005, should be expended. Requires GAO to evaluate such proposal for specified congressional committees, and Congress, after receiving both proposal and evaluation, to revisit the question of how the savings should be used.
Requires the Postmaster General to report to Congress how the Postal Service proposes to use any surplus determined by the Office of Management and Budget as of the end of FY 2025 or any earlier date by which all postal employees under the Civil Service Retirement System will have retired.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-04-23
text: Became Public Law No: 108-18.
action_date: 2003-04-23
text: Became Public Law No: 108-18.
action_date: 2003-04-23
text: Signed by President.
action_date: 2003-04-23
text: Signed by President.
action_date: 2003-04-11
text: Presented to President.
action_date: 2003-04-11
text: Presented to President.
action_date: 2003-04-08
text: By Senator Collins from Committee on Governmental Affairs filed written report. Report No. 108-35.
action_date: 2003-04-08
text: By Senator Collins from Committee on Governmental Affairs filed written report. Report No. 108-35.
action_date: 2003-04-08
text: A similar measure H.R. 735 was laid on the table without objection.
action_date: 2003-04-08
text: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
action_date: 2003-04-08
text: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 424 - 0 (Roll no. 115). (text:  CR H2902-2903)
action_date: 2003-04-08
text: Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 424 - 0 (Roll no. 115).(text:  CR H2902-2903)
action_date: 2003-04-08
text: DEBATE - The House proceeded with ten minutes of debate on the Waxman amendment.
action_date: 2003-04-08
text: DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on S. 380.
action_date: 2003-04-08
text: Considered by a previous order of the House. (consideration:  CR H2901-2909)
action_date: 2003-04-08
text: Consideration initiated by a previous order of the House.
action_date: 2003-04-07
text: Mr. Linder asked unanimous consent That it be in order at anytime without intervention of any point of order to consider in the House, S. 380; that the bill be considered as read for amendment; that the previous question be considered as ordered on the bill to final passage without intervening motion except for 1) one hour of debate; 2) a specified amendment by Mr. Waxman which, if offered, shall be considered as read, debatable for ten minutes, shall not be subject to amendment or demand for division of the question; and 3) one motion to recommit with or without instructions; and that following passage of S. 380, H.R. 735 shall be laid upon the table. Agreed to without objection. (consideration:  CR H2836)
action_date: 2003-04-03
text: Held at the desk.
action_date: 2003-04-03
text: Received in the House.
action_date: 2003-04-03
text: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
action_date: 2003-04-02
text: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
action_date: 2003-04-02
text: Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
action_date: 2003-04-02
text: The committee substitute as amended agreed to by Unanimous Consent.
action_date: 2003-04-02
text: Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S4726-4729; text of measure as reported in Senate: CR S4726-4728)
action_date: 2003-04-01
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 58.
action_date: 2003-04-01
text: Committee on Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Collins with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
action_date: 2003-04-01
text: Committee on Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Collins with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
action_date: 2003-03-05
text: Committee on Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
action_date: 2003-02-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Governmental Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S2364-2365)
action_date: 2003-02-12
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2363-2364)
action_date: 2003-02-12
text: Introduced in Senate

Enacted as: number: 108-18