Thanks to recent heat waves in the US affecting postal workers, a bill has been reintroduced to the US Congress to force the US Postal Service to have air conditioning in all of its vehicles.

In 2018, US postal worker was found dying in her vehicle thanks to heat stroke in temperatures of over 40 degrees C. Peggy Frank’s vehicle lacked air conditioning.

US Representative, Tony Cardenas of Panorama City announced he would ntroduce the Peggy Frank Memorial Act in 2019 but the bill did not progress through Congress.

“Her death could have been prevented if her truck simply had air conditioning and the resources to keep her safe,” Cardenas said Thursday in a statement, when he announced he was reintroducing the bill.

“We can’t bring her back, but we can do everything we can to protect the men and women who keep us connected by delivering letters, packages, prescriptions and so much more. It’s time to bring their vehicles to the 21st century by including climate controls that will protect them from extreme temperatures. We owe it to Peggy, her family and all postal workers to make sure civil servants stay healthy and safe. It’s the bare minimum.”

The Congressman’s office says that around 70% of the 230,000 US Postal Service’s vehicles lack air conditioning. Given the increasing frequency of severe heat waves all over the world, including the UK and Europe, such health and safety measures need looking at beyond California where these are admittedly a little more frequent. A postal delivery worker’s life is more valuable than any savings in investment in a fleet of vehicles.