GEORGIA, USA — Following the fallout of continued mail delays that have plagued the Peach State, Sen. Jon Ossoff plans to introduce new legislation that could change how the Postmaster General is appointed.
The proposed legislation, dubbed the Postmaster General Reform Act of 2024, aims to amend current law by giving the president the power to appoint the Postmaster General with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate.
"We must hold the postmaster general accountable," said Osoff in a Wednesday press conference.
Ossoff's proposed legislation would also limit the term of the role currently held by Louis DeJoy to five years, with the possibility of renewing for an additional five years.
He added that if the legislation is passed it would allow the Senate to review the qualifications for a nominee for postmaster general.
"What we have seen in the state of Georgia over the last year has been abysmal performance by US Postal Service leadership," Ossoff added. "Their failure to execute a plan transition to the use of the new facility at Palmetto for mail processing and distribution. A wide range of managerial and operational failures. It is clear that the U.S. Senate needs to exercise its authority to confirm appointees to senior posts and government."
The role of U.S. Postmaster General is currently determined by the Board of Governors, a board consisting of nine governors appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The governors retain the power to remove the Postmaster General.
The United States Postal Service was established in 1775, with Benjamin Franklin as the first postmaster general; it was authorized by the Constitution.
An online document from the U.S. lays out further history of the agency, including changes made in 1970, when then-President Richard Nixon signed a law ensuring the postal service was "an independent establishment of the Executive Branch."
USPS added that the 1970 Postal Reorganization Act treated the postal service like a "private organization free of political control."
During Wednesday's press conference, Ossoff said he hopes to build bipartisan support for the new legislation.
Ossoff's legislative proposal follows months of major mail delays in Georgia and a tense U.S. Senate hearing in April where Postmaster General Louis DeJoy came under fire for his handling of the rollout of a new regional processing and distribution center in Palmetto. The facility, part of the postal service's "Delivering for America" plan, was among the first facilities like it to open nationwide and an effort to consolidate and streamline mail services.
11Alive has been investigating issues tied to the regional processing and distribution center for nearly six months, following more than 3,000 complaints from viewers seeking answers about missing and delayed mail and packages, particularly items carrying essential medications, tax documents and more.
As mail delays continue, election officials from across the country continue to express concerns that absentee ballots may not arrive and will not be delivered on time for the November general election.
Last month, Sen. Raphael Warnock sent a letter asking Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to answer questions about the postal service's plans for mail-in ballots and the 2024 election cycle. A recent report from the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General found a "lack of preparation for election processes" earlier this year, ahead of the presidential primaries.
Previously, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger advised voters to request an absentee ballot early.
The legislation would take effect for the next postmaster general if passed through Congress.