The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee considered legislation on Wednesday that was introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) to reform the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) door delivery system.
Under the Secure Delivery for America Act (SDA Act), USPS would be able to reduce operational costs through the use of secure “clusterboxes” and increased curbside delivery.
“While the Secure Delivery for America Act will not replace a comprehensive overhaul that the United States Postal Service requires to become financially solvent, it provides an interim opportunity to achieve some significant cost savings,” Issa, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said. “Modest moves away from door delivery to secure clusterbox and curbside delivery would save the postal service billions while offering customers new benefits.”
According to recent estimates, the legislation would save USPS more than $2 billion annually. Last year, USPS ran a $5 billion deficit.
The cost savings would be achieved by converting 15 million door delivery addresses into evenly-distributed clusterboxes and curbside delivery. USPS would be directed to convert 1.5 million door delivery address each year for 10 years under the measure.
The cost of serving one door delivery address is $380. The cost of curbside delivery is $240, and the cost of secure clusterbox delivery is $170, according to USPS.
House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and the Census Chairman Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas), a co-sponsor of the SDA Act, said the reforms would reduce costs, increase efficiency and make package delivery more secure.
“Our measure is a cost-saving approach to modernizing mail delivery that won’t impact the elderly or those with a physical handicap who rely on door-to-door delivery of their mail,” Farenthold said. “This is just one commonsense solution that will move us towards a financially sound 21st century postal service that meets the needs of America.”