Background: U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors

The Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service (hereinafter, the Board) was created by a provision of the Postal Reorganization Act in 1970 (39 U.S.C. §202). The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) describes the Board as "comparable to a board of directors of a private corporation." Guided by statute and its bylaws, the Board "directs the exercise of the powers of the Postal Service, reviews the practices and policies of the Postal Service, and directs and controls the expenditures of the Postal Service."

The Board is composed of 11 members, including 9 Governors who are appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. As noted in a recent USPS Office of Inspector General (USPSOIG) white paper, as an executive branch agency, the Postal Service is to be led by presidentially appointed and Senate confirmed officers. The nine Governors serve this role. Additionally, the Board includes the Postmaster General, who is appointed by the Governors, and the Deputy Postmaster General, who is appointed by the Governors and the Postmaster.

Current Governor and Other Members of the Board

Currently, the Board has only one Governor—Chairman James H. Bilbray, whose term is set to expire on December 8, 2016. The remaining eight positions are vacant. Six nominees are currently pending before the Senate. On April 21, 2016, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a hearing to consider the nomination of Jeffrey A. Rosen. Most recently, his nomination was reported favorably and placed on the Senate Executive Calendar on April 25, 2016.

Figure 1. U.S. Postal Service Governor(s), as of 12/7/2016

The most recent former Governors and their last dates of service noted

Source: CRS graphic created using data received via email from U.S. Postal Service on March 16, 2016.

In addition to the sole Governor, the membership of the Board as a whole includes the Postmaster General, Megan J. Brennan, and the Deputy Postmaster General, Ronald A. Stroman.

Table 1. Pending Nominees for Postal Governor, as of 12/7/2016

Nominee

To Replace/For Term Expiring

Nomination Received

Date Hearing Held
(witness statement)

Jeffrey A. Rosen

Louis Giuliano, for a term expiring 12/08/2021

03/17/2016

04/21/2016
(Rosen Statement)

James Miller III

James Miller III, reappointment, for a term expiring 12/08/2017

03/11/2015

NA

Stephen Crawford

Alan Kessler, for a term expiring 12/08/2022

03/11/2015

NA

Mickey Barnett

Mickey Barnett, reappointment, for a term expiring 12/08/2020

02/25/2015

NA

David Michael Bennett

Thurgood Marshall, Jr., for a term expiring 12/08/2018

02/12/2015

NA

David S. Shapira

Dennis J. Toner, for a term expiring 12/08/2019

01/08/2015

NA

Source: CRS, Legislation Information System (LIS) Nominations Database (keyword search "postal").

Responsibilities of the Governors Compared with Those of the Board

Although many authorities and responsibilities are given to the Board, many matters are reserved for decision by the Governors alone. Table 2 lists selected matters that are reserved for decision by the Governors alone and by the full Board, respectively. If the Board should lose its last remaining Governor, it is unclear how decisions that are reserved to the Governors alone (e.g., appointment and removal of the Postmaster General) might be made.

Table 2. Selected Authorities and Responsibilities of the Governors and of the Board

Selected matters reserved for decision by the Governors

(39 C.F.R. §3.4)

Selected matters reserved for decision by the Board

(39 C.F.R. §3.3)

Appointment, pay, term of service, and removal of the Postmaster General, 39 U.S.C. 202(c); Appointment and removal of USPS Inspector General 39 U.S.C. 202(e)

Adoption of the bylaws of the Board

Establishment of rates and classes of competitive products

Approval of the annual Postal Service Finance Plan, Operating Plan, and Capital Plan

Authorization of the Postal Service to adjust the rates and fees for market dominant products

Approval of the annual financial statements of the Postal Service following receipt of the annual report of the Postal Service's independent, certified public accounting firm

Authorization of the Postal Service to request that the Postal Regulatory Commission, under 39 U.S.C. 3642, change the lists of market dominant and competitive products

Authorization of the Postal Service, in consultation with the Postal Regulatory Commission, to establish service standards under 39 U.S.C. 3691

Authorization of the Postal Service to file a request with the Postal Regulatory Commission for adjustment of rates on an expedited basis due to extraordinary or exceptional circumstances

Authorization of the Postal Service to request that the Postal Regulatory Commission submit an advisory opinion on a proposed change to certain postal services

Selection of an independent, certified public accounting firm to certify the accuracy of Postal Service financial statements as required by 39 U.S.C. 2008(e)

Approval of official statements adopting major policy positions and of official positions on legislative proposals having a major impact on the Postal Service

What Happens When the Board Only Has One Governor? No Governors?

Under 39 U.S.C. §205, vacancies will not prevent the Board from conducting its business as long as there is a quorum of members. To have a quorum, generally at least six members of the Board must be present.

For example, if the Postmaster General, Deputy Postmaster General, and four Governors are present, then the Board would have a quorum for the transaction of business. If, however, the Postmaster General, Deputy Postmaster General, and fewer than four Governors are present, the Board would not have a quorum and would not be able to conduct its business.

For select actions (e.g., appointment, removal, and setting compensation for Postmaster General), an absolute majority of the Governors currently in office is required.

Loss of Quorum

The Board lost its quorum when the term of former Governor Mickey D. Barnett expired on December 8, 2014, and the makeup of the Board dropped to five members.

The quorum requirement applies to the business of the Board, but not to the conduct of business related to those matters that are reserved for decision by the Governors alone.

As shown in Table 2, certain matters are reserved for decision by the Governors, rather than the Board. According to USPS regulations, the quorum requirement appears to apply to the business of the Board and not to those matters that are reserved for decision by the Governors alone. While Governor Bilbray remains, it appears he may act on those matters alone, with one exception. Under 39 U.S.C. 202(e), the removal of the USPS Inspector General requires the "written concurrence of at least 7 Governors."

The day-to-day operations of the Postal Service are largely the responsibility of USPS senior leadership and may be less affected by the Board's loss of quorum. Further, just prior to the loss of its quorum, the Board adopted a resolution delegating its authority to a Temporary Emergency Committee, in order to "provide for continuity of [postal] operations" in light of the loss of a Board quorum. In its resolution, the Board also affirmed that "the inability of the Board to constitute a quorum does not prevent the Governors then in office from exercising those powers vested solely in the Governors, as distinguished from the Board." While the Board has the authority (with certain restrictions) to create such a committee, it is unknown to what extent the Temporary Committee may act on matters that are explicitly reserved to the Board.

Loss of Final Governor

Unlike the loss of quorum, the loss of the final Governor would leave the USPS without legal authority for several actions that must be authorized by the Governors (e.g., establishment of rates and classes of competitive products, adjustment of rates for market dominant products, and setting compensation for the Postmaster and Deputy Postmaster). As noted by the USPSOIG, without at least one sitting Governor, the USPS cannot perform these actions—or any actions listed in the left column of Table 2—without subjecting itself to potential legal challenge.