I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9685 
To amend title 39, United States Code, to establish procedures for post 
offices that suspend operations due to an emergency, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 19, 2024 
Mr. BOST (for himself, Mr. RESCHENTHALER, Mr. GRAVES of Missouri, Mr. 
LAMALFA, and Mrs. HARSHBARGER) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability 
A BILL 
To amend title 39, United States Code, to establish proce-
dures for post offices that suspend operations due to 
an emergency, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Upending Secret Post-
al Shutdowns Act’’ or the ‘‘USPS Act’’. 
SEC. 2. POST OFFICE EMERGENCY CLOSURE PROCEDURES. 
Section 404 of title 39, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(f)(1) If any post office temporarily suspends oper-
ations due to an emergency— 
‘‘(A) on the first day of such suspension, the 
Postal Service shall place a sign or other physical 
notice of the suspension at the post office and pub-
lish a notice of the suspension on the Postal Service 
public website; and 
‘‘(B) not later than 5 days after the first date 
of such suspension, the Postal Service shall notify 
relevant public officials. 
‘‘(2) For purposes of paragraph (1)(B)— 
‘‘(A) the notice required under such paragraph 
shall include the reasons for the suspension, the in-
terim solution for mail delivery, and expected end 
date of the suspension; and 
‘‘(B) the term ‘relevant public officials’ means, 
with respect to a post office— 
‘‘(i) each Member of the House of Rep-
resentatives (including a Delegate or Resident 
Commissioner to Congress) representing a con-
gressional district which includes all or part of 
the geographic area served by such post office; 
‘‘(ii) each Senator representing a State 
which includes all or part of the geographic 
area served by such post office; and 
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‘‘(iii) the head of each unit of local govern-
ment with jurisdiction over all or part of the ge-
ographic area served by such post office. 
‘‘(3)(A) If a suspension of operations due to an emer-
gency lasts for 30 days, the Postal Service shall open a 
30-day public review period under which individuals served 
by the post office and or relevant public officials may pro-
vide comments to the Postal Service. 
‘‘(B) If a suspension of operations due to an emer-
gency lasts for 60 days— 
‘‘(i) the Postal Regulatory Commission shall 
conduct a review of the suspension; and 
‘‘(ii) the Postal Service shall begin the process 
to relocate the operations of the suspended post of-
fice, consistent with the procedures for post office 
relocation under this title. 
‘‘(C) In carrying out any relocation under subpara-
graph (A)(ii), the Postal Service shall— 
‘‘(i) solicit input from the head of each unit 
local government with jurisdiction over all or part of 
the geographic area served by such post office; and 
‘‘(ii) open a 30-day public comment review pe-
riod for a new proposed location. 
‘‘(4) In consultation with the Postmaster General, the 
postmaster for each post office shall promulgate and es-
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tablish an action plan in the case of an emergency suspen-
sion of post office operations. 
‘‘(5) Not later than January 1 of each calendar year 
beginning with calendar year 2025 the Postal Service shall 
submit a report to Congress on emergency suspensions of 
operations of post offices during the most recently ended 
calendar year. Such report shall include, for each instance 
of an emergency suspension of operations of a post office, 
the location of the post office, the duration of the emer-
gency suspension, and the reason for the emergency sus-
pension. 
‘‘(6) In this subsection, the term ‘emergency’ means 
a natural disaster, termination of a lease or rental agree-
ment, lack of qualified personnel to operate the office, ir-
reparable damage when no suitable alternate quarters are 
available in the community, severe damage to, or destruc-
tion of a post office, health and safety concerns, mold, 
challenges to the sanctity of the mail, or the lack of ade-
quate measures to safeguard the post office or its rev-
enue.’’. 
Æ 
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