I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 195 

To provide States with the authority to name post offices located in the 

State, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 9, 2023 

Mr. ROSENDALE (for himself and Mrs. MILLER of Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability 

A BILL 

To provide States with the authority to name post offices 

located in the State, 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. STATE POST OFFICE NAMING AUTHORITY. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 4 of title 39, United 

5 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol6 lowing new section: 

7 ‘‘§ 417. State post office naming authority 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A State may, in accordance with 

9 this section, select the name by which any post office that 

10 is located in such State will be known and designated. 


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1 ‘‘(b) LEGISLATION REQUIRED.—A State may exer2 cise the authority under subsection (a) only by legislation 

3 enacted by the State. 

4 ‘‘(c) REFERENCES.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Any reference in a law, 

6 map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of 

7 the United States to a post office for which a State 

8 selects the name under subsection (a) shall be 

9 deemed to be a reference to the post office as named 

10 by such State. 

11 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—Paragraph (1) does not 

12 apply with respect to a Federally named post office. 

13 ‘‘(d) LIMITS.— 

14 ‘‘(1) FEDERALLY NAMED FACILITIES.—A State 

15 may exercise the authority under subsection (a) to 

16 select the name of a Federally named post office 

17 only if, not later than 30 days prior to exercising 

18 such authority, the legislature of such State submits 

19 to Congress a notice identifying the post office for 

20 which the name will be selected and the name by 

21 which such post office will be known and designated. 

22 ‘‘(2) FEDERAL PREEMPTION.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this sec24 tion shall be construed to limit the authority of 

25 the Federal Government to select the name by 


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1 which a facility of the United States Postal 

2 Service, including a post office, will be known 

3 and designated. 

4 ‘‘(B) PREEMPTION.—A selection by the 

5 Federal Government of the name by which a 

6 post office will be known and designated shall 

7 supercede and preempt any previous selection of 

8 the name of such post office by a State under 

9 subsection (a). 

10 ‘‘(e) FEDERALLY NAMED POST OFFICE DEFINED.— 

11 In this section, the term ‘Federally named post office’ 

12 means a post office— 

13 ‘‘(1) for which the Federal Government selects, 

14 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

15 name by which such post office will be known and 

16 designated; and 

17 ‘‘(2) with respect to which a State has not exer18 cised the authority under subsection (a) after the 

19 latest such selection by the Federal Government.’’. 

20 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

21 for chapter 4 of title 39, United States Code, is amended 

22 by adding at the end the following new item: 

‘‘417. State post office naming authority.’’. 

Æ 


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