Postal Laws of the United States

This book provides a compilation of the principal statutes and international agreements governing the provision of postal services in the United States. The contents of the book are as follows:

Chapter 1. The Postal Service (Title 39). Title 39 establishes the United States Postal Service and the Postal Regulatory Commission and includes most of the laws governing postal services. The books reprints Title 39 in full, current through February 1, 2010.

Chapter 2: Uncodified Postal Statutes. Includes (i) provisions of the pre-1970 version of Title 39 that continue to govern aspects of rates for non-profit organizations; (ii) provisions of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (2006) requiring federal agencies to prepare several significant postal policy studies; and (iii) a provision from annual appropriations bills that mandates (in part) "universal service" in the United States.

Chapter 3: Federal Employment Laws (Title 5). Selected provisions from federal employment laws which govern pensions and benefits for Postal Service employees.

Chapter 4: Inspector General Act (Title 5 App). Provisions which establish the Inspectors General for the Postal Service and Postal Regulatory Commission.

Chapter 5: Criminal Laws Relating to Postal Service (Title 18). The book reprints in full chapter 83 of the criminal code which establishes the postal monopoly, the mailbox monopoly, and crimes that punish transgressions against the Postal Service.

Chapter 6: Customs and Trade Laws (Title 19). Includes (i) statutory provisions that govern the collection of duties on low value items shipped by postal and delivery services; (ii) provisions that prescribe security regulations for outbound international mail; and (iii) provisions governing intergovernmental agreements relating to trade in international postal and delivery services.

Chapter 7: Aviation Laws (Title 49). Provisions that govern the transportation of mail by air carriers, especially in international commerce.

Chapter 8: Universal Postal Convention (2008). The Convention is the primary intergovernmental agreement relating to postal services. It governs the exchange of international documents and parcels among national post offices and, to a limited extent, the supply of domestic postal services. Provisions of the Convention and associated Regulations (not included) affect the ability of private companies to compete with public postal operators and the ability of public postal operators to compete with one another outside their national territories. The Convention is to be revised and reenacted by the Universal Postal Union in a general Congress to be convened in Doha in 2012.