[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2615 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2615

    To amend title 39, United States Code, to cap rural post office 
closures at no more than 5 percent of total closures in any given year, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              July 8, 2013

Mr. Smith of Nebraska (for himself, Mr. McIntyre, Mrs. Lummis, and Mr. 
   Enyart) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend title 39, United States Code, to cap rural post office 
closures at no more than 5 percent of total closures in any given year, 
                        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 ``Securing Access to Rural Postal 
Services Act of 2013''.

SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF CLOSURES AND CONSOLIDATIONS.

    (a) Rural Post Office Annual Closure Limitation.--
            (1) In general.--Section 404a(a) of title 39, United States 
        Code, is amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``or'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in paragraph (3), by striking the period and 
                inserting ``; or''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) in any calendar year, close, consolidate, or suspend 
        the operations of more than 5 percent of the postal facilities 
        that--
                    ``(A) were operating as of the first day of such 
                calendar year; and
                    ``(B) were within the K or L cost ascertainment 
                grouping as of June 23, 2011.''.
            (2) Definition.--Section 404a of title 39, United States 
        Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) For purposes of subsection (a)(4), the term `postal facility' 
means a post office, post office branch, post office classified 
station, or other facility which is operated by the Postal Service, and 
the primary function of which is to provide retail postal services.''.
    (b) Alternative Postal Access Choice.--Section 404(d) of title 39, 
United States Code, is amended by striking all that precedes paragraph 
(2) and inserting the following:
    ``(d)(1) The Postal Service, prior to making a determination under 
subsection (a)(3) as to the necessity for the closing or consolidation 
or any post office, shall--
            ``(A) provide adequate notice of its intention to close or 
        consolidate such post office at least 60 days prior to the 
        proposed date of such closing or consolidation to postal 
        customers served by such post office;
            ``(B) conduct a nonbinding survey on the proposed closing 
        or consolidation to allow postal customers served by such post 
        office an opportunity to indicate their preference between or 
        among--
                    ``(i) the closing or consolidation; and
                    ``(ii) 1 or more alternative options; and
            ``(C) ensure that--
                    ``(i) should the closure or consolidation of a post 
                office be deemed necessary, it shall be the policy of 
                the Postal Service to provide alternative access to 
                postal services to those served by the post office by--
                            ``(I) the alternative option under 
                        subparagraph (B)(ii); or
                            ``(II) if more than one, the option under 
                        subparagraph (B)(ii) preferred by the greatest 
                        number of survey respondents; and
                    ``(ii) if the Postal Service is unable to provide 
                alternative access through the option described in 
                clause (i) or if such option would be cost prohibitive, 
                the Postal Service--
                            ``(I) may provide alternative access 
                        through a different means; and
                            ``(II) shall provide written notice to 
                        postal customers served by the post office 
                        identifying and explaining why the option 
                        identified by clause (i) was not possible or 
                        cost prohibitive, as the case may be.''.
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