House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. Subcommittee on the Postal Service. Committee members heard testimony concerning H.R. 3717, the Postal Reform Act of 1996. This legislation is designed to reform the U.S. Postal Service in various ways, including updating the organizational modus operandi, making the Postal Service more independent of the U.S. Treasury and increasing the powers and responsibilities of the Postal Rate Commission.

House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. Witnesses testified about the safety of postal workers and the U.S. mail following the discovery of anthrax exposures at several mail facilities. Among the issues they addressed were the costs of clean up, the response by postal authorities, and the extent of the threat to postal workers and civilians.