The NPMHU anticipates that Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA-14) will reintroduce the USPS Shipping Equity Act in the coming weeks.  As many NPMHU members know, the bill would allow the Postal Service to ship beer, wine, and spirits, just as its private sector counterparts are already doing. By removing this Prohibition Era constraint, USPS would have the same access to direct-to-consumer shipments as UPS and FedEx.  Over the past five years, online sales of alcohol have grown by 12 percent, amounting to over $1 billion. If the Postal Service had the same access to shipping alcohol, the Congressional Budget Office estimates an additional $50 million a year in revenue to the financially deficient federal agency.

To provide safety assurances, Rep. Speier will include additional language that USPS will not be able to deliver alcoholic beverages where prohibited by state, local, and tribal governments, and USPS will face the same liabilities as the private carriers. In a statement from 2019, Rep. Speier commented, “It makes no sense to create a competitive disadvantage for the USPS by barring them from these kinds of shipments.” In the past, this bipartisan legislation was endorsed not only by the postal unions, but also WineAmerica, American Craft Spirits Association, United States Association of Cider Makers, Kentucky Distillers’ Association, and the Distilled Spirits Council.  The NPMHU again supports this legislation and encourages members of the House to cosponsor it when reintroduced.