II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4618 

To limit the closure or consolidation of any United States Postal Service 

processing and distribution center if the United States Postal Service 

has failed to meet certain conditions, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 20, 2024 

Ms. ROSEN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

A BILL 

To limit the closure or consolidation of any United States 

Postal Service processing and distribution center if the 

United States Postal Service has failed to meet certain 

conditions, 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 ‘‘Protect Our Mail Act 

5 of 2024’’. 

6 SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON CLOSING OR CONSOLIDATING 

7 PROCESSING AND DISTRIBUTION CENTERS. 

8 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 (1) POSTAL SERVICE.—The term ‘‘Postal Serv2 ice’’ means the United States Postal Service. 

3 (2) PROCESSING AND DISTRIBUTION CENTER.— 

4 The term ‘‘processing and distribution center’’ 

5 means a facility of the United States Postal Service 

6 that processes, distributes, and dispatches, part or 

7 all of both originating and destinating volumes of 

8 mail for a designated service area. 

9 (3) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means a State 

10 or the District of Columbia. 

11 (b) LIMITATION.—The Postal Service may not pro12 ceed on any decision to close, consolidate, downgrade, or 

13 take any other similar action with respect to a processing 

14 and distribution center in a State— 

15 (1) if— 

16 (A) at any time during the calendar year 

17 immediately preceding the action, a processing 

18 and distribution center located within any Post19 al Service area in the State failed to meet the 

20 targets described in the fiscal year 2023 per21 formance plan of the Postal Service of— 

22 (i) not less than 93 percent on-time 

23 delivery performance for 2-day single first24 class mail, as measured by the service 


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1 standards in effect on the date of enact2 ment of this Act; and 

3 (ii) not less than 90.3 percent on-time 

4 delivery performance for 3- to 5-day first5 class mail, as measured by the service 

6 standards in effect on the date of enact7 ment of this Act; or 

8 (B) such action would result in there being 

9 no processing and distribution center located— 

10 (i) in the State; or 

11 (ii) within 125 miles of the processing 

12 and distribution center subject to such ac13 tion; and 

14 (2) unless— 

15 (A) the Postal Service has submitted a 

16 proposal relating to such action to the Postal 

17 Regulatory Commission using the procedures 

18 described in section 3661(b) of title 39, United 

19 States Code, and provided the Postal Regu20 latory Commission any information and records 

21 necessary to issue an opinion on the proposal, 

22 including any access to Postal Service facilities; 

23 (B) the Postal Regulatory Commission has 

24 issued an opinion on the proposal under sub25 paragraph (A) using the procedures described 


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1 in section 3661(c) of title 39, United States 

2 Code, within 180 business days of submission of 

3 the proposal, that— 

4 (i) includes a comprehensive review of 

5 geographical considerations, including 

6 mountain passes, and the impact of those 

7 considerations on the effects of the pro8 posal on local mail delivery within the 

9 State; and 

10 (ii) finds that the proposal would not 

11 negatively impact service standards and 

12 performance measures for mail originating 

13 and destinating within the State; and 

14 (C) the deadline for appeals described in 

15 subsection (c) has passed and the Postal Regu16 latory Commission has heard all appeals under 

17 that subsection and all such appeals are unsuc18 cessful. 

19 (c) AFFECTED CUSTOMER RIGHT TO APPEAL.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Any person regularly served 

21 by a processing and distribution center subject to 

22 closure, consolidation, downgrading, or any other 

23 similar action shall have the right to appeal to the 

24 Postal Regulatory Commission a decision described 

25 in subsection (b). 


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1 (2) DEADLINE.—Any appeal under paragraph 

2 (1) shall be filed not later than the later of— 

3 (A) 180 days after the date of enactment 

4 of this Act; or 

5 (B) 180 days after the date of a decision 

6 described in subsection (b). 

7 (3) NOTICE REQUIRED.—Not later than 7 days 

8 after the date of a decision described in subsection 

9 (b), the Postal Service shall publicly and conspicu10 ously display on the website of the Postal Service 

11 and at the facility impacted by such decision infor12 mation relating to the right to appeal under para13 graph (1) and the process to file such appeal. 

Æ 


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