Amendments to Post Office closure or consolidation procedures

(a)

In general

Section 404(d) of title 39, United States Code, is amended— (1)in paragraph (2)(A)(i), by inserting before the semicolon the following: , including whether such closing or consolidation will decrease access to postal or nonpostal service offered at such post office in such community with respect to elderly individuals, economically disadvantaged individuals, individuals with limited mobility, or individuals without reliable and affordable access to the Internet; (2)in paragraph (2)(A)(v), by inserting before the semicolon the following: , including, during the previous 5 years: the number of, and revenue derived from, money-order transactions processed by such post office; the volume of international mail processed by such post office; and the number of customers served at such post office ; (3)by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following:

(3)(A)Any determination of the Postal Service to close or consolidate a post office shall be in writing and shall include the findings of the Postal Service with respect to the considerations required to be made under paragraph (2). Such determination and findings shall be made available to individuals served by such post office. (B)With respect to the closing or consolidation of a post office located in a community where individuals listed in paragraph (2)(A)(i) reside, the analysis required under paragraph (2) shall include an assessment of the effect such closing or consolidation will have on such individuals.

; and

(4)by adding at the end the following:

(7)The Postal Service shall not close or consolidate a post office if such closing or consolidation would result in a disproportionate, unreasonable, or undue burden on a class of individuals listed in paragraph (2)(A)(i). (8)For purposes of this subsection— (A)an individual is economically disadvantaged if, with respect to the community in which such individual lives, at least 60 percent of the households have children who are eligible for free or reduced price lunches under the school lunch program under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.); (B)the term elderly, used with respect to an individual, means age 65 or older; (C)the term post office includes a branch post office and a post office station; (D)whether an individual has limited mobility shall be determined by, with respect to the community in which such individual lives— (i)how accessible public transportation is, as measured by the availability of public transportation options in the community; the frequency of service on such options; and the time and distance required to access such options as a pedestrian; and (ii)the rate of highway motor vehicle ownership, as measured by, in the most recent American Community Survey published by the Bureau of the Census, the difference between the number of individuals in such community that own or lease a highway motor vehicle and the statewide average of individuals who own or lease such a vehicle; (E)in order to determine whether an individual has reliable and affordable access to the Internet, the Postal Service shall use the Internet Use Supplement in the most recent Current Population Survey published by the Bureau of the Census; and (F)in order to determine the statistical data required under this subsection with respect to a class of individuals listed in paragraph (2)(A)(i), the Postal Service may use any available data from local or State governments or the Federal Government.

(b)

Effective date

The amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to any post office— (1)that has been determined to be necessary for closing or consolidation under section 404(d) of title 39, United States Code; or (2)that is included in a proposal— (A)to change the nature of postal services on a nationwide or substantially nationwide basis; and (B)for which the Postal Service has requested an advisory opinion from the Postal Regulatory Commission pursuant to section 3661(b) of such title.