{
  "id": "R45280",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "R45280",
  "active": true,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
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      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 584347,
      "date": "2018-08-06",
      "retrieved": "2019-12-20T21:03:22.568426",
      "title": "U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors: Background, Pending Nominees, and Issues for Congress ",
      "summary": "Unlike other executive agencies, the United States Postal Service is governed not by a single presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed agency head, but rather by an entity known as the Board of Governors. The Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service (hereinafter, the Board) was created by the Postal Reorganization Act in 1970 (PRA, 39 U.S.C. \u00a7202). The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) describes the Board as \u201ccomparable to a board of directors of a private corporation.\u201d \nAs currently constructed under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 (PAEA, P.L. 109-435), the Board consists of the Postmaster General, the Deputy Postmaster General, and nine Governors, appointed to staggered terms of seven years. The Governors appoint, or may remove, the Postmaster General; the Deputy Postmaster General is appointed, or may be removed, by both the Governors and the Postmaster General. Currently, there are no Senate-confirmed Governors and the only members on the Board are the Postmaster General and the Deputy Postmaster General. It is unclear whether the appointment or removal clauses of 39 U.S.C. \u00a7202 could operate as written, given the Board\u2019s current composition. President Trump sent four Governor nominations to the Senate on October 30, 2017; however, as of the date of this report, none of the nominations have been confirmed.\nUnder 39 U.S.C. \u00a7205, vacancies may not prevent the Board from conducting its business as long as there is a quorum of members. Without any appointed Governors, the Board cannot have a quorum. Just prior to the loss of its quorum, the Board adopted a resolution delegating its authority to a Temporary Emergency Committee (TEC), in order to \u201cprovide for continuity of [postal] operations.\u201d The Board will continue without a quorum until four or more Governors have been confirmed. \nAlthough the Board, as a whole, has many authorities and responsibilities, certain matters are reserved for decision by the Governors alone. The lack of any appointed Governors leaves the USPS without legal authority for actions that must be authorized by the Governors, such as\nthe establishment of rates and classes of competitive products;\nthe adjustment of rates for market dominant products; and \nsetting compensation for the Postmaster General and Deputy Postmaster General.",
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      "typeId": "REPORTS",
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      "topics": []
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  ],
  "topics": [
    "American Law"
  ]
}