Rep. Bauer offered the following concurrent resolution:

            House Concurrent Resolution No. 55.   

            A concurrent resolution to memorialize the Congress of the United States to intervene to prevent the closure of the U.S. Postal Service's Processing and Distribution Center in Lansing, Michigan.

            Whereas, The U.S. Postal Service has announced plans to close numerous facilities across the country as a major cost-savings measure. This ambitious strategy, however, includes some plans that seem counterintuitive. Among these is the inclusion of the Processing and Distribution Center in Lansing, Michigan, in the projected closures; and

            Whereas, The Lansing Processing and Distribution Center is a major mail processing hub located in the middle of the state. Consolidation of the tasks carried out here and relocation elsewhere will only degrade the responsiveness of the Postal Service. This will likely hamper its efforts to fend off competitive delivery systems.  It is estimated that closing the Lansing facility, which handles 3 to 5 million pieces of mail each day, including one-half million first class items, would result in delays in delivery of up to 3 days rather than overnight; and

            Whereas, Many people, including local leaders, feel the determination to consolidate services and close the Lansing facility was made without a thorough, transparent, and comprehensive comparison of the sites in question. Major points of difference include the advantages the Capitol City center offers due to its proximity at the intersection of major highways near the center of the state's population, access at the Lansing property to adjacent land for future expansion, and the fact that the facility to which services would be relocated is leased property;  and

            Whereas, In addition to the obvious pain inherent in the loss of at least 200 jobs, the Lansing closure could quite possibly accelerate the loss of business in the Lansing area due to slower services that are inevitable. Clearly, to do so would not be in the best long-term interest of the community or the U.S. Postal Service; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That we memorialize the Congress of the United States to intervene to prevent the closure of the U.S. Postal Service's  Processing and Distribution Center in Lansing, Michigan; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.