I 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3916 
To reduce the operating costs of the United States Postal Service, to provide 
for continued postal services for certain areas, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 7, 2012 
Ms. WATERS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 
A BILL 
To reduce the operating costs of the United States Postal 
Service, to provide for continued postal services for cer-
tain areas, 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 ‘‘Protecting Post Offices 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. CALCULATION OF POSTAL SERVICE RETIREE 
HEALTH BENEFIT PAYMENTS. 
Section 8909a(d)(3) of title 5, United States Code, 
is amended as follows: 
(1) Subparagraph (A) is repealed. 
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(2) In subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘2017’’ 
and inserting ‘‘2012’’. 
SEC. 3. NONPOSTAL SERVICES; POST OFFICE CLOSURES. 
(a) NONPOSTAL SERVICES.—Subsection (a) of sec-
tion 404 of title 39, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in paragraph (8), by striking the period and 
inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(9) to provide nonpostal services.’’. 
(b) POST OFFICE CLOSURES.—Subsection (e) of such 
section is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(e)(1) Notwithstanding subsections (a)(3) or (d), 
the Postal Service may not close or consolidate any post 
office or other postal facility that is located in a ZIP Code 
that has a high rate of poverty and a high rate of unem-
ployment. To determine whether a ZIP Code has a high 
rate of poverty or unemployment, the Postmaster General 
shall consult with the Secretary of Commerce and the Sec-
retary of Labor. 
‘‘(2) Not later than 1 year after the date of enact-
ment of this subsection, the Postmaster General shall sub-
mit a report to Congress on alternative uses with respect 
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to under-used postal facilities, including whether such fa-
cilities could offer nonpostal services and products.’’. 
SEC. 4. RATE REGULATION FOR MARKET-DOMINANT PROD-
UCTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 3622 of 
title 39, United States Code, the Postmaster General shall 
have the authority to regulate rates for market-dominant 
products. Such authority shall not apply to the rate dis-
counts established under subsection (e) of such section. 
(b) NOTIFICATION.—If the Postmaster General de-
termines under subsection (a) that an adjustment in a rate 
for a market-dominant product is necessary, the Post-
master General shall provide public notice of such adjust-
ment not later than 45 days before the implementation 
of such adjustment. 
(c) CONSUMER
PRICE
INDEX.—In determining 
whether an adjustment in a rate for a market-dominant 
product is reasonable, the Postmaster General may com-
pare the percentage change of such adjustment with the 
percentage change of the Consumer Price Index for All 
Urban Consumers unadjusted for seasonal variation dur-
ing the 12-month period preceding the date the Post-
master General files notice of such adjustment pursuant 
to subsection (b). 
Æ 
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