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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9932 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9932

To prohibit the United States Postal Service from using funds to close 
   small post offices or perform mail processing facility reviews in 
                election years, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 4, 2024

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To prohibit the United States Postal Service from using funds to close 
   small post offices or perform mail processing facility reviews in 
                election years, 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 ``Upholding USPS Delivery Standards 
and Election Integrity Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The United States Postal Service shall be operated as a 
        basic and fundamental service provided to the people by the 
        Government of the United States, authorized by the 
        Constitution, created by Act of Congress, and supported by the 
        people. The Postal Service shall have as its basic function the 
        obligation to provide postal services to bind the Nation 
        together through the personal, educational, literary, and 
        business correspondence of the people. It shall provide prompt, 
        reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas and 
        shall render postal services to all communities. The costs of 
        establishing and maintaining the Postal Service shall not be 
        apportioned to impair the overall value of such service to the 
        people (39 U.S.C. 101).
            (2) On March 23, 2021, the Postal Service announced its 
        ten-year Delivering for America plan ``to provide prompt, 
        reliable, and efficient mail and package shipping services to 
        all Americans-- regardless of where they live--and at 
        affordable rates''. One of the ways the Postal Service intends 
        to achieve this objective is through Mail Processing Facility 
        Reviews. These reviews have the potential to impact delivery 
        standards and ballot collection processes across the Nation.
            (3) Thousands of concerned American citizens have voiced 
        their opinions against these reviewal processes, and numerous 
        Members and Senators have written letters to the Postmaster 
        General demanding answers to these legitimate concerns.
            (4) The Postal Regulatory Commission, in consultation with 
        the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, 
        possesses the statutory authority to evaluate and issue an 
        advisory opinion on the impact of the Postal Service's reforms 
        including but not limited to costs, revenue, volume, products, 
        and service standards (39 U.S.C. 501, 3622, 3652, 3662, and 
        3691).
            (5) On March 28, 2024, the Office of Inspector General 
        released a comprehensive audit, Report Number 23-161-R24, which 
        outlined how the reforms led to worse service, an inadequately 
        informed public, decreased employee availability, and an 
        increase in late and canceled mail transportation trips.
            (6) On April 26, 2024, the Postal Regulatory Commission 
        issued Order No. 7061 to the Postal Service, which focuses on 
        these reforms and requires that the Postal Service either 
        submit to an advisory opinion of the Commission or justify why 
        said opinion is not warranted.
            (7) On May 20, 2024, the Postmaster General agreed to pause 
        some of these reforms until January 1, 2025, and outlined which 
        reforms remain ongoing in 2024.

SEC. 3. UPHOLDING DELIVERY STANDARDS AND ELECTION INTEGRITY.

    (a) In General.--No funds appropriated or otherwise made available 
to the United States Postal Service may be used to--
            (1) consolidate or close small rural and other small post 
        offices; or
            (2) perform a mail processing facility review or implement 
        changes pursuant to a mail processing facility review during 
        any year in which a regularly scheduled general election for 
        Federal office is held pursuant to section 25 of the Revised 
        Statutes (2 U.S.C. 7).
    (b) Collection Box Audit.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Inspector General of the United States 
Postal Service shall conduct an audit of the processes of each 
geographic district and Logistics and Processing Operations division of 
the United States Postal Service for removing mail collection boxes and 
submit to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
Affairs of the Senate a report on the findings of such audit.
                                 <all>
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