Rep. Jason Chaffetz bill would create 'mail holidays'

WASHINGTON — Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, says if his new legislation is adopted, it could save the U.S. Postal Service hundreds of millions of dollars in fuel and operations costs.

The legislation Chaffetz introduced Thursday would give the U.S. postmaster general the authority to declare 12 mail holidays — an average of one a month — each year.

On those days, no delivery would happen, though mail would continue in transit, similar to Sundays.

During congressional testimony in April, U.S. Postmaster General John Potter said the Postal Service is projected to lose $238 billion over the next 10 years, with a $33 billion loss in 2020 if nothing is done.

Potter said the Postal Service can work to reduce $123 billion of the losses by 2020, but it would need congressional authority to close the remaining $115 billion.

One of Potter's proposals included permanently adjusting the number of delivery days from six to five.

But Chaffetz said Thursday that dropping 52 delivery days a year would affect too many constituents and postal workers and too much commerce.

Chaffetz said it's not reasonable to eliminate the Saturday delivery before Christmas or Mother's Day.

Dropping Saturday delivery could mean, in cases of Monday holidays, that people wouldn't get any deliveries between Friday and Tuesday. That could be devastating for someone waiting for a medical prescription, he said.

The bill, which Chaffetz hopes would be a happy medium, would give Potter the discretion to pick mail holidays on days not projected to be extra busy or essential. The days could be published well in advance to inform the public.

"(There are) some days in August or July nobody is going to miss," he said.

The bill is expected to head to the House's Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia Subcommittee, where Chaffetz is ranking member.

e-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com twitter: dnewspolitics