[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8303 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8303

To require the United States Postal Service to notify postal customers 
 and relevant officials when operations are temporarily suspended at a 
                  post office, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 8, 2024

 Mr. Diaz-Balart introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
             the Committee on Oversight and Accountability

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the United States Postal Service to notify postal customers 
 and relevant officials when operations are temporarily suspended at a 
                  post office, 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. NOTICE OF TEMPORARY POST OFFICE CLOSURE.

    (a) In General.--If the United States Postal Service temporarily 
suspends operations at a post office, either voluntarily or 
involuntarily, the United States Postal Service shall--
            (1) submit the notices required by subsection (b);
            (2) provide persons served by such post office an 
        opportunity for comment in accordance with subsection (c); and
            (3) provide services to persons served by such post office 
        in accordance with subsection (d).
    (b) Notices.--
            (1) Suspension notice.--
                    (A) In general.--The United States Postal Service 
                shall notify persons served by a post office and the 
                relevant officials for such post office of the 
                temporary suspension of operations at such post office.
                    (B) Contents.--
                            (i) In general.--Except as provided by 
                        clause (ii), the notice required under 
                        subparagraph (A) with respect to the temporary 
                        suspension of operations at a post office shall 
                        include--
                                    (I) in the case of a temporary 
                                suspension of operations that the 
                                United States Postal Service plans or 
                                expects, the expected date on which 
                                such temporary suspension of operations 
                                will begin;
                                    (II) the reasons for such temporary 
                                suspension of operations;
                                    (III) plans for--
                                            (aa) providing retail 
                                        postal services to persons 
                                        served by such post office 
                                        during such temporary 
                                        suspension of operations;
                                            (bb) providing persons 
                                        served by such post office the 
                                        opportunity required by 
                                        subsection (c); and
                                            (cc) resuming the 
                                        operations of such post office; 
                                        and
                                    (IV) an estimate of when the 
                                operations of such post office will 
                                resume.
                            (ii) Onsite notices.--Notwithstanding 
                        clause (i), a notice required under 
                        subparagraph (A) placed at the physical 
                        location of a post office shall include 
                        instructions for accessing a website of the 
                        United States Postal Service containing the 
                        information described in clause (i) and may 
                        contain such information.
                    (C) Timing.--The United States Postal Service shall 
                provide the notice required under subparagraph (A)--
                            (i) in the case of a temporary suspension 
                        of operations that the United States Postal 
                        Service plans or expects, not later than the 
                        later of--
                                    (I) 60 days prior to the expected 
                                date on which such temporary suspension 
                                of operations will begin; or
                                    (II) the earliest date on which the 
                                United States Postal Service plans or 
                                expects such temporary suspension of 
                                operations; and
                            (ii) in all other cases, not later than 14 
                        days after the date on which operations are 
                        temporarily suspended.
                    (D) Notice required.--The United States Postal 
                Service may not temporarily suspend operations at a 
                post office unless the United States Postal Service 
                provides the notice required under this paragraph, 
                except that this subparagraph shall not apply if such 
                temporary suspension of operations is not at the 
                discretion of the United States Postal Service or is 
                necessary due to health or safety concerns.
            (2) Status updates.--If the United States Postal Service 
        temporarily suspends operations at a post office for a period 
        of more than six months, not later than six months after the 
        date on which such temporary suspension of operations begins, 
        and every three months thereafter until the date on which such 
        temporary suspension of operations ends, the United States 
        Postal Service shall provide to persons served by such post 
        office and the relevant officials for such post office a notice 
        on the status of such temporary suspension of operations.
            (3) Reopening notice.--Upon determining the date on which 
        operations will resume at a post office at which operations are 
        temporarily suspended, the United States Postal Service shall 
        notify persons served by such post office and the relevant 
        officials for such post office of the date of such resumption 
        of operations at such post office and, in the case of a post 
        office that has been relocated, the location of such post 
        office.
            (4) Notice distribution.--For each notice required under 
        this subsection with respect to a post office, the United 
        States Postal Service shall--
                    (A) mail such notice to persons served by such post 
                office;
                    (B) place such notice at the physical location of 
                such post office;
                    (C) make such notice publicly available on a 
                website of the United States Postal Service;
                    (D) publish such notice on relevant social media 
                websites; and
                    (E) send such notice to a valid email of each 
                relevant official.
            (5) Relevant officials defined.--In this subsection, the 
        term ``relevant officials'', with respect to a post office, 
        means--
                    (A) each Member of the House of Representatives 
                (including a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to 
                Congress) representing a congressional district which 
                includes all or part of the geographic area served by 
                such post office;
                    (B) each Senator representing a State which 
                includes all or part of the geographic area served by 
                such post office; and
                    (C) the head of each local government with 
                jurisdiction over all or part of the geographic area 
                served by such post office.
    (c) Opportunity for Comment.--The United States Postal Service 
shall provide persons served by a post office at which operations are 
temporarily suspended an opportunity to present their views on such 
temporary suspension of operations, including the relocation of such 
post office.
    (d) Replacement Retail Postal Services.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 10 days after the temporary 
        suspension of operations at a post office, the United States 
        Postal Service shall provide to persons served by such post 
        office the services described in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) in the same geographic area as such post 
                office, to the extent practicable; and
                    (B) to the extent that such post office provided 
                such services immediately before such temporary 
                suspension of operations.
            (2) Retail postal services.--The services described in this 
        paragraph are the following services not available from the 
        post office at which operations are temporarily suspended:
                    (A) Retail postal services, including the sale of 
                boxes and other packaging material sold by the United 
                States Postal Service.
                    (B) A means for holders of post office boxes at 
                such post office to receive mail sent to the post 
                office box of such holder.
                    (C) Providing, accepting, and processing forms 
                necessary for persons to request a change of mailing 
                address or a temporary halt to the delivery of mail to 
                such person.
            (3) Duration.--The United States Postal Service shall 
        provide the services required by paragraph (1) until the end of 
        the temporary suspension of operations with respect to which 
        the United States Postal Service is providing such services 
        under such paragraph.
    (e) Applicability.--This section shall apply only with respect to 
temporary suspensions of operations at post offices that begin after 
the date of the enactment of this Act.
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