Senate Holds Confirmation Hearing for Three Nominees to the USPS Board of Governors
On April 18, 2018 the Senate Homeland and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) held a confirmation hearing for three nominees to the USPS® Board of Governors. The three nominees include former USPS Inspector General David Williams, Philadelphia entrepreneur Calvin R. Tucker, and Kentucky businessman Robert M. Duncan.
As background, at full complement, the USPS Board of Governors includes nine Presidentially appointed Governors, along with the Postmaster General (PMG) and the Deputy Postmaster General (DPMG). The Board has not had a quorum since 2014 and has been without a single Governor since December 2016. In the interim, the Postal Service™ has been functioning under a Temporary Emergency Committee that includes only the PMG and the DPMG. Governors that are appointed by the President must be confirmed by the Senate and to-date, previous nominees were not brought forth for confirmation.
The mailing industry is anxiously waiting for resolve to the lack of Governors. Without at least one, the Postal Service cannot approve any Promotions for calendar year 2018. Promotions have been a successful way of reducing postage costs while taking advantage of innovative ways of adding value to direct mail.
So, what happens next?
Although there appears to be no opposition to these nominees, next steps are uncertain. Three possibilities include:
- Nominees are brought to the Senate Floor for confirmation. Under Senate Rules, the Senate has three options: confirm, reject, or take no action on the nomination. Confirmation requires a simple majority vote.
- Reportedly, HSGAC Chairman Ron Johnson is open to “hot-line” the nomination process which means electronic voting by the Senate. This would expedite the confirmation process significantly.
- A vote by the full Senate may be postponed until the President’s Task Force on the Postal Service concludes its final report which is due August 9, 2018.
For now, we must just wait and see. As an industry leader, BCC Software will continue to keep you updated on this issue.
