I 

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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Upholding USPS De5 livery Standards and Election Integrity Act of 2024’’. 

6 SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The United States Postal Service shall be 

2 operated as a basic and fundamental service pro3 vided to the people by the Government of the United 

4 States, authorized by the Constitution, created by 

5 Act of Congress, and supported by the people. The 

6 Postal Service shall have as its basic function the 

7 obligation to provide postal services to bind the Na8 tion together through the personal, educational, lit9 erary, and business correspondence of the people. It 

10 shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services 

11 to patrons in all areas and shall render postal serv12 ices to all communities. The costs of establishing 

13 and maintaining the Postal Service shall not be ap14 portioned to impair the overall value of such service 

15 to the people (39 U.S.C. 101). 

16 (2) On March 23, 2021, the Postal Service an17 nounced its ten-year Delivering for America plan ‘‘to 

18 provide prompt, reliable, and efficient mail and 

19 package shipping services to all Americans— regard20 less of where they live—and at affordable rates’’. 

21 One of the ways the Postal Service intends to 

22 achieve this objective is through Mail Processing Fa23 cility Reviews. These reviews have the potential to 

24 impact delivery standards and ballot collection proc25 esses across the Nation. 


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1 (3) Thousands of concerned American citizens 

2 have voiced their opinions against these reviewal 

3 processes, and numerous Members and Senators 

4 have written letters to the Postmaster General de5 manding answers to these legitimate concerns. 

6 (4) The Postal Regulatory Commission, in con7 sultation with the United States Postal Service Of8 fice of Inspector General, possesses the statutory au9 thority to evaluate and issue an advisory opinion on 

10 the impact of the Postal Service’s reforms including 

11 but not limited to costs, revenue, volume, products, 

12 and service standards (39 U.S.C. 501, 3622, 3652, 

13 3662, and 3691). 

14 (5) On March 28, 2024, the Office of Inspector 

15 General released a comprehensive audit, Report 

16 Number 23–161–R24, which outlined how the re17 forms led to worse service, an inadequately informed 

18 public, decreased employee availability, and an in19 crease in late and canceled mail transportation trips. 

20 (6) On April 26, 2024, the Postal Regulatory 

21 Commission issued Order No. 7061 to the Postal 

22 Service, which focuses on these reforms and requires 

23 that the Postal Service either submit to an advisory 

24 opinion of the Commission or justify why said opin25 ion is not warranted. 


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1 (7) On May 20, 2024, the Postmaster General 

2 agreed to pause some of these reforms until January 

3 1, 2025, and outlined which reforms remain ongoing 

4 in 2024. 

5 SEC. 3. UPHOLDING DELIVERY STANDARDS AND ELECTION 

6 INTEGRITY. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—No funds appropriated or other8 wise made available to the United States Postal Service 

9 may be used to— 

10 (1) consolidate or close small rural and other 

11 small post offices; or 

12 (2) perform a mail processing facility review or 

13 implement changes pursuant to a mail processing fa14 cility review during any year in which a regularly 

15 scheduled general election for Federal office is held 

16 pursuant to section 25 of the Revised Statutes (2 

17 U.S.C. 7). 

18 (b) COLLECTION BOX AUDIT.—Not later than 90 

19 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the In20 spector General of the United States Postal Service shall 

21 conduct an audit of the processes of each geographic dis22 trict and Logistics and Processing Operations division of 

23 the United States Postal Service for removing mail collec24 tion boxes and submit to the Committee on Oversight and 

25 Accountability of the House of Representatives and the 


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1 Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Af2 fairs of the Senate a report on the findings of such audit. 

Æ 


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