SPRINGFIELD – After hearing from Central Illinois residents, State Senator Doris Turner sent a letter on Wednesday to the U.S. Postmaster General David Steiner asking to bring back mail sorting in Springfield, rather than allow it to remain out of state.

“The aftermath of the decision to sort mail in Missouri has been detrimental,” said Turner (D-Springfield). “People aren’t getting their prescriptions delivered on time, putting them in life-threatening situations. Rent payments, paychecks, bills and more are taking much longer to arrive. Enough is enough.”

On March 26, Turner joined hundreds of local residents, postal workers and local elected officials at a town hall to share concerns about the proposal. USPS approved changing Springfield’s Packaging and Distribution Center into a Local Processing Center, which moved mail processing outside of the state to operations in St. Louis, Missouri.

“I’ve heard about the mail issues from constituents, and I too have experienced increased delays. Today we find out mail is scattered along a street in Springfield with people’s addresses on display,” said Turner. “I stand with residents, postal workers and the entire Springfield community. I’m having conversations with our federal partners as we navigate the ongoing and unjust USPS issues.”

A copy of the letter can be found here.