Also up in the air are amendments that would block, delay or slow down planned closures of well over three thousand local post offices which the Postal Service wants to get rid of in order to save money.
Among the 38 amendments to the "21st Century Postal Service Act of 2012" (S. 1789) that could be voted on Tuesday afternoon and evening, there are some which try to limit the scope of the bill:
* McCaskill amendment to prohibit the closing of a rural post office unless certain conditions are met and to establish a moratorium on the closing of rural post offices.
* Durbin amendment to prohibit the Postal Service from closing, consolidating, or reducing the workforce of certain postal facilities.
* Mikulski amendment to prohibit the United States Postal Service from closing any postal facility without a certification from the Governor of the State in which the postal facility is located.
* Cardin amendment to prohibit the closing of a postal facility if the nearest postal facility is more than 50 miles away.
* Tester amendment to modify the process for closing or consolidating post offices and postal facilities.
* Wyden amendment to require the Postal Service to consider the effect of closing or consolidating a postal facility on the ability of the affected community to vote by mail and to provide post offices and postal facilities to protect the ability to vote by mail.
* Coburn amendment to improve access to postal services in communities potentially affected by a postal closing or consolidation.
* Manchin amendment to extend the moratorium on the closing and consolidation of postal facilities or post offices, stations, or branches.
* Landrieu amendment to determine the impact of certain postal facility closures or consolidations on small businesses.
But there are also other amendments that seek to toughen the postal reform legislation:
* Coburn amendment to require retirement-eligible employees of the Postal Service to retire.
* Coburn amendment to allow the Postal Service to close unprofitable post office facilities.
* Paul amendment to establish a pilot program to test alternative methods for the delivery of postal services.
* McCain amendment to establish the Commission on Postal Reorganization.
* Paul amendment to require the closing of post offices in the Capitol Complex.
* Paul amendment to end the Postal Service monopoly on first-class mail and mailbox use.
The various amendments also include several that would limit the pay of Postal Service executives.
One very big fight will come on the issue of Saturday mail delivery, as the Postal Service argues getting rid of weekend mail would save billions - but that is hotly opposed by members in both parties.
Democratic Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico will force a vote to get rid of a provision in the bill that would delay any move to end Saturday delivery for at least two years - Udall wants no possibility of that.
With all Senators certainly hearing complaints from back home about threatened closures of post offices and mail delivery facilities, it's hard to predict the outcome of some of these votes.
And that doesn't happen too often in the U.S. Congress.
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