I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1885 

To amend title 39, United States Code, to cap rural post office closures 

at no more than 5 percent of total closures in any given year, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 16, 2015 

Mr. SMITH of Nebraska (for himself and Mr. GOSAR) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government 

Reform 

A BILL 

To amend title 39, United States Code, to cap rural post 

office closures at no more than 5 percent of total closures 

in any given year, 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 ‘‘Securing Access to 

5 Rural Postal Services Act of 2015’’. 

6 SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF CLOSURES AND CONSOLIDATIONS. 

7 (a) RURAL POST OFFICE ANNUAL CLOSURE LIMITA8 TION.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 404a(a) of title 39, 

2 United States Code, is amended— 

3 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 

4 the end; 

5 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking the pe6 riod and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

7 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(4) in any calendar year, close, consolidate, or 

9 suspend the operations of more than 5 percent of 

10 the postal facilities that— 

11 ‘‘(A) were operating as of the first day of 

12 such calendar year; and 

13 ‘‘(B) were within the K or L cost ascer14 tainment grouping as of June 23, 2011.’’. 

15 (2) DEFINITION.—Section 404a of title 39, 

16 United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

17 end the following: 

18 ‘‘(d) For purposes of subsection (a)(4), the term 

19 ‘postal facility’ means a post office, post office branch, 

20 post office classified station, or other facility which is op21 erated by the Postal Service, and the primary function of 

22 which is to provide retail postal services.’’. 

23 (b) ALTERNATIVE POSTAL ACCESS CHOICE.—Sec24 tion 404(d) of title 39, United States Code, is amended 


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1 by striking all that precedes paragraph (2) and inserting 

2 the following: 

3 ‘‘(d)(1) The Postal Service, prior to making a deter4 mination under subsection (a)(3) as to the necessity for 

5 the closing or consolidation or any post office, shall— 

6 ‘‘(A) provide adequate notice of its intention to 

7 close or consolidate such post office at least 60 days 

8 prior to the proposed date of such closing or consoli9 dation to postal customers served by such post of10 fice; 

11 ‘‘(B) conduct a nonbinding survey on the pro12 posed closing or consolidation to allow postal cus13 tomers served by such post office an opportunity to 

14 indicate their preference between or among— 

15 ‘‘(i) the closing or consolidation; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) 1 or more alternative options; and 

17 ‘‘(C) ensure that— 

18 ‘‘(i) should the closure or consolidation of 

19 a post office be deemed necessary, it shall be 

20 the policy of the Postal Service to provide alter21 native access to postal services to those served 

22 by the post office by— 

23 ‘‘(I) the alternative option under sub24 paragraph (B)(ii); or 


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1 ‘‘(II) if more than one, the option 

2 under subparagraph (B)(ii) preferred by 

3 the greatest number of survey respondents; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(ii) if the Postal Service is unable to pro6 vide alternative access through the option de7 scribed in clause (i) or if such option would be 

8 cost prohibitive, the Postal Service— 

9 ‘‘(I) may provide alternative access 

10 through a different means; and 

11 ‘‘(II) shall provide written notice to 

12 postal customers served by the post office 

13 identifying and explaining why the option 

14 identified by clause (i) was not possible or 

15 cost prohibitive, as the case may be.’’. 

Æ 


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