[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3744 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3744

To provide that the United States Postal Service shall maintain postal 
            service to rural areas, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 20, 2011

 Mr. Aderholt introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide that the United States Postal Service shall maintain postal 
            service to rural areas, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Service Preservation Act''.

SEC. 2. CONTINUATION OF RURAL MAIL DELIVERY.

    For the 5-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this 
section, the United States Postal Service shall continue the rural 
delivery of mail at not less than the level provided as of such date.

SEC. 3. EMPLOYEE BUY-OUTS AND RURAL POST OFFICE CLOSINGS.

    (a) Buy-Outs.--During the 5-year period beginning on the date of 
enactment of this section, not more than 10 percent of the total number 
of buy-outs offered (if any) by the Postal Service to Postal Service 
employees shall be made to such employees that work in rural post 
offices.
    (b) Rural Post Office Closings.--During the 5-year period beginning 
on the date of enactment of this section, not more than 10 percent of 
the total number of the post offices closed or consolidated (if any) 
pursuant to section 404 of title 39, United States Code, shall be rural 
post offices.
    (c) Definitions.--For purposes of this section:
            (1) Postal service.--The term ``Postal Service'' has the 
        meaning given such term in section 102(1) of title 39, United 
        States Code.
            (2) Rural post office.--
                    (A) In general.--A post office shall be considered 
                to be a rural post office if such post office is 
                located in an area, as set forth in the most recent 
                decennial census by the Bureau of the Census, which is 
                located within a town, village, or city--
                            (i) that has a population not exceeding 
                        10,000 inhabitants; and
                            (ii) is not contiguous or adjacent to a 
                        town, village, or city that has a population 
                        that is greater than 150,000 inhabitants or an 
                        urbanized area of such town, village, or city.
                    (B) Rule of construction.--For purposes of 
                subparagraph (A), the term ``urbanized area'' means a 
                densely populated territory, as defined in the most 
                recent decennial census by the Bureau of the Census.
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