[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 116 (Thursday, July 31, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10665-S10666]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REID:
  S. 1534. A bill to limit the closing and consolidation of certain 
post offices in rural communities, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Governmental Affairs.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I am pleased today to introduce the Rural 
Post Office and Community Preservation Act of 2003.
  My legislation would prohibit the Postal Service from closing post 
offices in our Nation's small rural communities. Where the Postal 
Service has closed a rural post office, my legislation directs the 
Postal Service to provide a plan for the rehabilitation and economic 
development of such closed offices in consultation with the local 
community affected. It also authorizes $10 million in grants to local 
communities to assist in such rehabilitation. Finally, it provides that 
the Postal Service shall transfer the closed post office in Ely, NV, to 
White Pine County for such rehabilitation.
  All across the Nation, the Postal Service is closing, consolidating, 
and moving post offices in our rural communities. Oftentimes, the 
Postal Service sells off centrally located and in many cases historic 
post offices in favor of moving the office to cheaper land on the 
outskirts of town. While this may result in a short-term economic gain 
to the Postal Service, there is both an immediate and long-term 
negative impact on the community.
  A 1993 study by the National Trust for Historic Preservation tells us 
what we intuitively already know. That is, in rural communities, the 
post office is often the economic and social anchor of the town. When 
post offices are closed in our rural communities, nearby businesses 
suffer and the small-town character of the community is diminished.
  Nevada knows the harm caused by closing rural post offices first 
hand.

[[Page S10666]]

  Take the small town of Ely, NV, where roughly 3,700 Nevadans make 
their home. Located in northeastern Nevada, Ely is a charming small 
town surrounded by beautiful mountains and the cleanest air in America. 
Decades ago, Ely was a main stopover for public officials and movie 
stars alike as they traveled through the West, and was briefly the 
hometown of Pat Ryan who later became Pat Nixon, the First Lady of the 
United States, At the time, Ely's six-story Hotel Nevada was the 
tallest structure in the whole State of Nevada. Near the Hotel Nevada, 
Ely had a quaint post office that helped form the center of town. Today 
if you go to Ely, you will still find the Hotel Nevada. The mountains 
are just as beautiful. But you won't find the Ely Post Office in the 
center of town. Last year, over my objection and the objection of the 
people of Ely, the Postal Service closed the office.
  My legislation introduced today would help prevent future rural post 
office closings like the one in Ely. It would also give the closed post 
office in Ely to the local community.
  My legislation is not intended to be a criticism of the Postal 
Service. Many fine men and women work there. In fact, my bill is really 
a testament to the importance of our post offices and the Postal 
Service. It recognizes that over the history of our Nation, post 
offices have come to symbolize and offer more than just the practical 
service of keeping people in touch with friends and families in distant 
locales. Increasingly, the local post office has become the heart of 
the community, a place where people within small rural communities keep 
in touch with one and other.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1534

       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 Post Office and 
     Community Preservation Act of 2003''.

      SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (1) a 1993 study by the National Trust for Historic 
     Preservation found that approximately 80 percent of people in 
     small communities plan their trips around a visit to a post 
     office;
       (2) the Postal Service is increasingly closing small, rural 
     post offices in the center of town and replacing such 
     services with more distant post offices on the outskirts of 
     such communities; and
       (3) closing post offices in the centers of small, rural 
     communities removes the hub of such communities and has a 
     deleterious effect on the economies and quality of life in 
     such communities.
       (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to limit the 
     closure of centrally located rural post offices, and to 
     enhance the economic health and quality of life of rural 
     communities.

     SEC. 3. MAINTAINING CENTRALLY LOCATED RURAL POST OFFICES.

       Section 404(b) of title 39, United States Code, is amended 
     by adding at the end the following:
       ``(3)(A) In this paragraph, the term `rural community' 
     means a city, town, or unincorporated area with a population 
     of not more than 20,000 people.
       ``(B) The Postal Service may not make a determination to 
     close or consolidate a post office in a rural community, 
     unless the Postal Service makes a determination that such 
     closing or consolidation will have a positive economic impact 
     on that community and enhance the quality of life in that 
     community.
       ``(C) In making a determination under subparagraph (B), the 
     Postal Service shall presume that the relocation of a 
     centrally located post office in a rural community to the 
     boundaries of that community will have a negative economic 
     impact on that community and will not enhance the quality of 
     life in that community.
       ``(D) If the Postal Service makes a determination to close 
     or consolidate a post office in a rural community, the Postal 
     Service shall develop a plan, in consultation with people in 
     the rural community, to provide for the rehabilitation and 
     use of the post office for purposes favored by the people of 
     that community. Such plan shall be developed before the 
     closing or consolidation takes effect.''.

     SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR REHABILITATION OF POST OFFICES IN RURAL 
                   COMMUNITIES.

       (a) Definition.--In this section, the term `rural 
     community' means a city, town, or unincorporated area with a 
     population of not more than 20,000 people.
       (b) Grants.--The Postal Service may award grants to State 
     and local governments, private organizations, or individuals 
     to provide for the rehabilitation of any closed post office 
     in a rural community.
       (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2003 
     through 2007 to carry out this section.

     SEC. 5. TRANSFER OF CLOSED POST OFFICE IN ELY, NEVADA.

       The Postal Service shall transfer the real property 
     (including all buildings and improvements) located at 415 5th 
     Street in Ely, Nevada, and occupied by the closed post 
     office, to the local county government of Ely County, Nevada.
                                 ______