[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5070 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 5070
To provide free post office boxes to individuals who are unhoused or
experiencing housing instability, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 22, 2026
Mr. Schiff introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide free post office boxes to individuals who are unhoused or
experiencing housing instability, 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 ``Mail Accessibility and Inclusion for
Low-Income Families Act'' or the ``MAIL Act''.
SEC. 2. POST OFFICE BOXES FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE UNHOUSED OR
EXPERIENCING HOUSING INSTABILITY.
(a) Definitions.--
(1) Eligible individual.--The term ``eligible individual''
means an unhoused or housing unstable individual--
(A) whose annual income does not exceed the poverty
line, as established by the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget and revised by the Secretary of
Health and Human Services in accordance with section
9902(2) of title 42, United States Code;
(B) receiving assistance under a State program
funded under part A of title IV of the Social Security
Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
(C) receiving housing assistance or benefits under
any Federal program for assistance for rental housing,
including--
(i) the programs for rental assistance
under section 8 of the United States Housing
Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f), including the
housing choice voucher program and the program
for project-based voucher assistance;
(ii) the public housing program under such
Act;
(iii) the program for supportive housing
for elderly persons under section 202 of the
Housing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C. 1701q);
(iv) the program for supportive housing for
persons with disabilities under section 811 of
the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable
Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 8013); or
(v) the programs for rural housing under
title V of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C.
1471 et seq.);
(D) enrolled in the Medicaid program under title
XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et
seq.);
(E) who is a member of a household receiving
assistance under the supplemental nutrition assistance
program established under the Food and Nutrition Act of
2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.); or
(F) enrolled in the special supplemental nutrition
program for women, infants, and children established
under section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42
U.S.C. 1786).
(2) Unhoused or housing unstable individual defined.--In
this section, the term ``unhoused or housing unstable
individual'' means an individual who is--
(A) homeless (as defined in section 103 of the
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C.
11302)); or
(B) at risk of homelessness (as defined in section
401 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 11360)).
(b) Availability of Free Post Office Boxes for Eligible
Individuals.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the United States Postal Service shall
issue regulations providing that an eligible individual may
request and receive a post office box without any fees, subject
to post office box availability, if the eligible individual
submits to the appropriate local or regional Postmaster, at
such time, in such manner, and containing such information as
the Postmaster General determines appropriate, proof of
eligibility.
(2) Authority.--The United States Postal Service shall have
authority to procure additional post office boxes, as
determined appropriate by the United States Postal Service, to
carry out the regulations issued under paragraph (1).
(c) Reimbursement of Forgone Revenue.--Section 2401 of title 39,
United States Code, is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (d), (e), (f), and (g) as
subsections (e), (f), (g) and (h), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following new
subsection:
``(d) There are authorized to be appropriated to the Postal Service
each year--
``(1) a sum determined by the Postal Service to be equal to
the difference between the revenues the Postal Service would
have received if section 2 of the MAIL Act had not been enacted
and the estimated revenues to be received in post office box
fees under such section; and
``(2) a sum equal to the additional funds expended in the
acquisition, installation, maintenance, and provision of post
office boxes as required by section 2 of the MAIL Act.''.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--
(1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated to
the United States Postal Service for fiscal year 2027, and each
fiscal year thereafter, to carry out the acquisition,
installation, maintenance, and provision of additional post
office boxes under this Act, the amount determined by the
Postmaster General under paragraph (2).
(2) Amount.--For each fiscal year, the Postmaster General
shall determine, and shall submit to Congress for the
acquisition, installation, maintenance, and provision of post
office boxes a request for, the amount equal to--
(A) the revenues the United States Postal Service
would normally have received for the rental of post
office boxes provided under section 2 of the MAIL Act;
and
(B) the cost of acquiring, installing, maintaining,
and provisioning post office boxes as required by
section 2 of the MAIL Act, including--
(i) any reconfiguration, retention or
procurement of retail space as necessary to
accommodate such post office boxes;
(ii) the purchase of equipment required to
install and maintain such post office boxes;
and
(iii) additional staffing or other labor
costs arising from the installation,
maintenance, and provision of such post office
boxes.
SEC. 3. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND REPORTS.
(a) Implementation Plan.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Postmaster General shall submit to
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate,
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, the Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform of the House of Representatives, and
the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives a plan
for carrying out this Act.
(b) Progress Reports.--Not later 5 years after the date on which
Postmaster General submits the plan required under subsection (a), and
every 5 years thereafter, the Postmaster General shall submit to the
committees described in that subsection a report on the provision of
post office boxes to eligible individuals pursuant to this Act.
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