Reps. Hageman, Cleaver Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Protect Rural Postal Facilities

Washington, DC - Today, Congresswoman Harriet Hageman (R-WY), along with Democratic cosponsor Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), introduced bipartisan legislation to require the United States Postal Service (USPS) to apply the same standards to sorting, distribution, or processing facilities as are used for storefront Post Offices. If the USPS decides to move forward with a closure/consolidation, this legislation will require the USPS to notify the persons served by the post office, or sorting, distribution, or processing facility, of its decision and the findings used to arrive at this decision. The USPS also would be required to wait at least 60 more days upon notification before proceeding with the closure/consolidation, and any person served by the facility slated for such action could appeal the closure to the Postal Regulatory Commission, which would have up to 120 days to consider the appeal.

Congresswoman Hageman stated, “Without this legislation, the USPS could arbitrarily close our only processing and distribution centers, leaving us dependent on larger cities outside the borders of our state. Such closures would threaten the promise of timely, secure mail delivery and force many USPS employees to either relocate or lose their jobs. There are also serious election integrity concerns created by forcing the transport of mailed-in ballots out of state, which could potentially cause ballot delivery to be delayed until after an election concludes. Many other rural communities throughout the United States will assuredly be negatively impacted in similar ways.”

“The Postal Processing Protection Act stands as a crucial safeguard, ensuring that mail processing centers remain to serve our communities nationwide,” said Congressman Cleaver. “By preserving these centers and examining the consequences of their potential closures, we uphold the continuity of essential services, mitigate the far-reaching consequences of their elimination, and alleviate the burden on an already strained postal service. It’s a measure that not only preserves efficiency, but also reinforces the interconnectedness of each and every community throughout the country. I am proud to introduce the Postal Processing Protection Act alongside Congresswoman Hageman and look forward to working together to avoid fractures in the postal service delivery network by first studying the effects of closing or consolidating these processing and shipping facilities.”

In addition to this legislation being bipartisan, it is also bicameral, with Senators Rounds (R-MT) and Durbin (D-IL) leading the Senate companion bill.

Background:

• Section 404 of Title 39 U.S.C. which outlines specific powers reserved to the USPS requires that, when deciding to close or consolidate postal facilities, USPS must evaluate certain factors including the effect of such closing or consolidation on the community served by such post office; the effect of such closing or consolidation on employees of the Postal Service employed at such office; whether such closing or consolidation is consistent with the policy of the Government that the Postal Service shall provide a maximum degree of effective and regular postal services to rural areas, communities, and small towns where post offices are not self-sustaining; the economic savings to the Postal Service resulting from such closing or consolidation; and other factors the USPS deems are necessary.
• Unfortunately, under the existing language, these requirements only apply to storefront post offices.

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Contact: Chris Berardi, Sr. Advisor/Communications Director