I 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5377 
To provide for certain safeguards with respect to the sale of historic postal 
facilities, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 31, 2014 
Mr. SERRANO (for himself and Ms. LEE of California) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Gov-
ernment Reform 
A BILL 
To provide for certain safeguards with respect to the sale 
of historic postal facilities, 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 ‘‘Postal Facilities Pres-
ervation and Sales Reform Act’’. 
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO TITLE 39, UNITED STATES CODE, 
WITH RESPECT TO THE CLOSURE AND CON-
SOLIDATION OF POSTAL FACILITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 404(d) of title 39, United 
States Code, is amended— 
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(1) by striking subsection (d)(1) and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(d)(1) Prior to making a determination under sub-
section (a)(3) of this section as to the necessity for the 
closing or consolidation of any postal facility, the Postal 
Service shall— 
‘‘(A) hold at least 3 public meetings, located 
within the area affected by the closing or consolida-
tion, at least 120 days prior to such determination; 
and 
‘‘(B) provide adequate notice of its intention to 
close or consolidate such facility at least 180 days 
prior to the proposed date of such closing or consoli-
dation to persons served by such facility to ensure 
that such persons will have an opportunity to 
present their views. 
‘‘(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), ‘adequate notice’ 
with respect to a closure or consolidation of a post office 
means written notification to— 
‘‘(A) each person served by such post office; 
‘‘(B) each officer or employee who is employed 
at such post office; and 
‘‘(C) each Federal, State, and local elected offi-
cial who represents the ZIP code in which such post 
office is located.’’; 
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(2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 
(6) as paragraphs (3) through (7), respectively; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(8) The following entities shall have a right of first 
refusal, in descending order of priority, to purchase any 
postal facility offered for sale by the Postal Service under 
this section: 
‘‘(A) A Federal agency (as that term is defined 
in section 2671 of title 28). 
‘‘(B) The State in which such facility is located. 
‘‘(C) The city, town, or local unit of government 
with jurisdiction over the area in which such facility 
is located. 
‘‘(9) The Postal Service may not enter into any con-
tract or agreement with a person where such contract per-
mits such person to represent, with respect to a sale of 
a postal facility under this section, the Postal Service and 
the proposed buyer of the facility.’’. 
(b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
Section 404(d) of title 39, United States Code, is amend-
ed— 
(1) in paragraphs (3) through (7) (as redesig-
nated by subsection (a)(2)), by striking ‘‘post office’’ 
in each instance it appears and inserting ‘‘postal fa-
cility’’; 
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(2) in paragraph (3) (as so redesignated), by 
striking ‘‘post offices’’ and inserting ‘‘postal facili-
ties’’; in each instance it appears 
(3) in paragraph (4) (as so redesignated), by 
striking ‘‘paragraph (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph 
(3)’’; 
(4) in paragraph (6) (as so redesignated), by 
striking ‘‘paragraph (3)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph 
(4)’’; and 
(5) in paragraph (7) (as so redesignated), by 
striking ‘‘paragraph (5)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph 
(6)’’. 
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO TITLE 39, UNITED STATES CODE, 
WITH RESPECT TO HISTORIC POSTAL FACILI-
TIES. 
(a) SALE OF POSTAL FACILITIES.—Section 404(d) of 
title 39, United States Code, is further amended by adding 
at the end the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(10) With respect to any historic postal facility (as 
that term is defined in section 417) offered for sale or 
proposed for relocation or cessation of services by the 
Postal Service under this section, the Postal Service may 
not enter into any contract or agreement to sell the facility 
or relocate or cease services at such facility until the pro-
posed decision to sell or relocate such facility is reviewed 
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pursuant to section 106 of the National Historic Preserva-
tion Act (16 U.S.C. 470f).’’. 
(b) GENERAL HISTORIC POSTAL FACILITY REQUIRE-
MENTS.—Chapter 4 of title 39, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘§ 417. Historic postal facilities 
‘‘(a) HISTORIC SURPLUS PROPERTY PROGRAM.—If 
the Postal Service makes a determination to sell a historic 
postal facility under section 404, and the preservation of 
such facility has been determined by the State Historic 
Preservation Officer or the Keeper of the National Reg-
ister of Historic Places to be of national significance, the 
Postal Service shall use the Historic Surplus Property 
Program (administered by the National Park Service and 
the General Services Administration) to dispose of such 
facility. 
‘‘(b) FEDERAL PRESERVATION OFFICER DUTIES.— 
The Federal preservation officer at the Postal Service 
shall be consulted in any decision with respect to the sale 
or lease of any historic postal facility or any historic art 
at such facility. 
‘‘(c) LIST OF HISTORIC POSTAL FACILITIES; BUDG-
ET.—The Postmaster General shall maintain— 
‘‘(1) a list of historic postal facilities and pub-
lish such list on the Postal Service Web site; and 
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‘‘(2) a separate preservation budget to track ob-
ligations and expenditures by the Postal Service with 
respect to historic preservation activities. 
‘‘(d) NEW DEAL ART.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Federal preservation 
officer at the Postal Service shall promptly notify 
the National Museum of American Art in any in-
stance where New Deal art owned by the Postal 
Service is loaned or relocated. 
‘‘(2) AVAILABILITY
OF
POLICIES.—The Post-
master General shall make all Postal Service policies 
relating to historic preservation and New Deal art 
available to the public. 
‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
‘‘(1) the term ‘historic postal facility’ means 
any postal facility listed, or eligible to be listed, in 
the National Register of Historic Places; and 
‘‘(2) the term ‘New Deal art’ means any work 
of art located at a postal facility that— 
‘‘(A) was commissioned by the Federal 
Government between 1933 and 1936; and 
‘‘(B) is owned by the Postal Service.’’. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
for title 39, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
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after the item relating to section 416 the following new 
item: 
‘‘417. Historic postal facilities.’’. 
SECTION 4. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS WITH RESPECT 
TO HISTORIC POSTAL FACILITIES. 
(a) MORATORIUM ON SALE OF HISTORIC POSTAL FA-
CILITIES.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
the Postmaster General of the United States Postal Serv-
ice may not enter into any agreement to sell a postal facil-
ity that is listed, or eligible to be listed, in the National 
Register of Historic Places unless the sale is conducted 
pursuant to the procedures established under section 
404(d) of title 39, United States Code, as amended by 
sections 2 and 3. 
(b) APPLICATION OF NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESER-
VATION ACT.—Congress reaffirms that sections 106, 110, 
and 111 of the National Historic Preservation Act apply 
to the United States Postal Service. 
(c) DEVELOPMENT OF POSTAL SERVICE POLICIES 
AND PROCEDURES WITH RESPECT TO HISTORIC POSTAL 
FACILITIES.— 
(1) MODEL HISTORIC PROPERTY COVENANT.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Postmaster General shall, in consultation 
with the Advisory Council on Historic Preserva-
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tion, the National Conference of State Historic 
Preservation Officers, and the National Trust 
for Historic Preservation, develop a model cov-
enant, to be used and applied with respect to 
any historic postal facility offered for sale by 
the Postal Service. 
(B) 
COVENANT
REQUIREMENTS.—Such 
covenant shall provide that— 
(i) the purchaser of such a facility 
shall allow public access to any historic 
artwork located within such facility; 
(ii) the Postal Service shall contribute 
sufficient funds to the maintenance of any 
such artwork; and 
(iii) the purchaser of such a facility 
shall not demolish the historic postal facil-
ity or alter it in any way that is incompat-
ible with the historic character of such fa-
cility. 
(C) 
COVENANT
GUIDANCE.—Not 
later 
than 1 year after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Postmaster General shall, in consulta-
tion with the Advisory Council on Historic 
Preservation, the National Conference of State 
Historic Preservation Officers, and the National 
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Trust for Historic Preservation, develop and 
implement guidelines with respect to notifying 
any private entity of the responsibilities of such 
entity under the covenant developed under sub-
section (a), including stewardship requirements 
and any pertinent information on Federal or 
State tax incentive programs. 
(2) TRAINING.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Postmaster 
General shall, in consultation with the Advisory 
Council on Historic Preservation, develop guidance 
and training procedures for officers and employees 
of the Postal Service on the processes, requirements, 
and special considerations with respect to the sale of 
any historic postal facility, including— 
(A) the application of section 106 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 
470f) to such sale; and 
(B) consultation with stakeholders with re-
spect to such sale. 
(3) LEASING.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Postmaster Gen-
eral shall develop and implement a policy with re-
spect to, as an alternative to selling any historical 
postal facility, leasing such facility, as permitted 
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under section 111 of the National Historic Preserva-
tion Act (16 U.S.C. 470h–3). 
(4) REPORT
ON
USE
OF
GSA
FOR
SALE
OF 
PROPERTY.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Postmaster General 
shall publish a report on whether the Postal Service 
should use the Office of Real Property Disposal of 
the General Services Administration with respect to 
selling any historic postal facility. 
SEC. 5. PROPOSED POSTAL SERVICE RULE UNDER THE NA-
TIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT. 
The proposed rule published by the Postal Service in 
the Federal Register on January 13, 2014 (79 Fed. Reg. 
2102 et seq.), and any subsequent rule that is substan-
tially the same shall have no force or effect. 
Æ 
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