119-hr3958

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3958 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 3958

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

 June 12, 2025

 Mr. Diaz-Balart (for himself and Mr. Scott Franklin of Florida) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
 Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

 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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