Bob Latta: “I thank my friend, the ranking member, for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill, which has not gone…”

“I thank my friend, the ranking member, for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill, which has not gone through regular order and was put together in response to misinformation and conspiracies online. Since the closure of the Toledo, Ohio, processing plant in 2012, mail in northwest Ohio has been sent to the Metroplex Processing Facility in Michigan. As my constituents can attest, this new arrangement has not worked. We have experienced countless delays and destroyed and lost mail for years, including more than 1,000 absentee ballots in the 2016 general election. That is why I have continuously engaged with the USPS to fix these problems and get our mail sorted in Ohio. They have committed to working with me and officials in Ohio to implement procedures for election materials. Unfortunately, under H.R. 8015, the USPS would be prohibited from making any changes to their operation if it is determined that the changes would impede prompt, reliable, and efficient services. It doesn't specifically say who will be making this determination, so it is safe to assume it will be the unelected bureaucrats, individuals who have told me for years that the preferred way to sort mail would be through the Metroplex. Now, this bill could legally prohibit absentee ballots from being processed in Ohio-based sorting facilities.…”