Postal Reorganization Act of 1970

E13973

The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 is a U.S. federal law that transformed the Post Office Department into the independent United States Postal Service and modernized the nation’s postal system.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf United States federal statute
postal law
appliesTo domestic mail service
international mail service handled by USPS
branchAffected executive branch of the United States government
changedStatusOfEmployees from federal civil service employees to postal service employees
codifiedIn Title 39 of the United States Code
country United States
created United States Postal Service
effectiveDate 1971-07-01
enactedBy 91st United States Congress
establishedBody Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service
Postal Rate Commission
establishedPrinciple postal service to be operated as a basic and fundamental service to the people
universal service obligation for USPS
grantedPower authority to enter into contracts
authority to set postal rates within statutory guidelines
authority to sue and be sued
hasAbbreviation PRA
jurisdiction United States federal government
languageOfWork English
laterNameOfBody Postal Regulatory Commission
legalStatus in force (as amended)
limitedRight right to strike for postal employees
locatedInLegalSystem United States statutory law
longTitle An Act to improve and modernize the postal service
madeAgencyStatus independent establishment of the executive branch
motivatedByEvent 1970 United States postal strike
policyGoal to improve efficiency of mail delivery
to make the postal service self-supporting from postal revenues
to modernize the national postal system
predecessorEntity United States Post Office Department
publicLawNumber Public Law 91-375
recognizedRight collective bargaining for postal employees
regulates postal services provided by the United States Postal Service
reorganized Post Office Department
repealedOrSuperseded many provisions of earlier postal statutes
shortTitle Postal Reorganization Act
signedBy Richard Nixon
signingDate 1970-08-12
subjectMatter labor relations in the postal service
postal rates and classes
postal service governance
postal service organization
successorEntity United States Postal Service
transformedEntity Post Office Department into the United States Postal Service
typeOfReform administrative reorganization
labor relations reform
yearOfEnactment 1970

Referenced by (11)

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