Postal Reorganization Legislation: Comparative Case Studies of the Legislative Process

Abstract

Much of the academic literature on Congress has concentrated on the growing polarization in Congress and the significant changes in the organization of the legislative process that have accompanied that polarization. This dissertation posits the theory that, nevertheless, there is a substrata of legislation for which the process has not changed substantially over the last forty years. The legislation is of relatively low saliency and often deals primarily with the organizational structure of government agencies. The process for this type of legislation is basically non-partisan and non-ideological. Two comparative case studies will be used for the analysis: the legislative process leading to the enactment of the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, and Congressional efforts to further reorganize the Postal Service, which began in 1995 and concluded with the passage of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006.