Title: To require the Postal Service to establish a website providing information on post offices experiencing emergency suspensions, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
This bill requires the U.S. Postal Service to establish a public website providing information on post offices experiencing emergency suspensions.
Information on the website shall not be considered as providing notice to any person that the post office's operations have been temporarily suspended.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6355 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6355

    To require the Postal Service to establish a website providing 
information on post offices experiencing emergency suspensions, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 6, 2022

                Mrs. Axne introduced the following bill

                            January 10, 2022

            Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To require the Postal Service to establish a website providing 
information on post offices experiencing emergency suspensions, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. POST OFFICE EMERGENCY SUSPENSION WEBSITE.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter VII of chapter 36 of title 39, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 3692. Post office emergency suspension website
    ``(a) In General.--The Postal Service shall develop and maintain a 
publicly available website with an interactive web-tool that provides 
information about each covered post office, including the information 
described in subsection (b).
    ``(b) Emergency Suspension Information.--The information provided 
on the Website shall include--
            ``(1) a list of each covered post office; and
            ``(2) for each covered post office--
                    ``(A) a street address;
                    ``(B) the date on which the relevant emergency 
                suspension for such covered post office took effect;
                    ``(C) the reason for such emergency suspension;
                    ``(D) alternative services available, including how 
                to request curbside delivery;
                    ``(E) the location of, and hours of operation for, 
                the nearest facility providing retail access to postal 
                services; and
                    ``(F) to the extent practicable, the estimated date 
                on which operations at such covered post office will 
                resume.
    ``(c) Address Search Functionality.--The Website shall include 
functionality enabling a user to search for information about covered 
post offices by street address, ZIP Code, or post office box.
    ``(d) Format.--The information described in subsection (a) shall be 
provided on the Website--
            ``(1) in a manner that--
                    ``(A) presents such information on an interactive 
                dashboard;
                    ``(B) is searchable and may be sorted and filtered 
                by the elements described in subsection (b)(2); and
                    ``(C) to the extent practicable, enables any person 
                or entity to download in bulk--
                            ``(i) such information; and
                            ``(ii) the results of a search by the 
                        elements described in subsection (b)(2);
            ``(2) in an open format that permits any individual or 
        entity to reuse and analyze such information; and
            ``(3) in a structured data format, to the extent 
        practicable.
    ``(e) Suspension Notice.--Information provided on the Website shall 
not be considered as providing notice to any person that the operations 
of a post office have been temporarily suspended pursuant to subchapter 
61 of the Postal Service Handbook PO-101, or any successor policy.
    ``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Covered post office.--The term `covered post office' 
        means a post office at which operations have been temporarily 
        suspended pursuant to subchapter 61 of the Postal Service 
        Handbook PO-101, or any successor policy.
            ``(2) Emergency suspension.--The term `emergency 
        suspension' means the temporary suspension of operations at a 
        post office pursuant to subchapter 61 of the Postal Service 
        Handbook PO-101, or any successor policy.
            ``(3) Post office.--The term `post office' means a Post 
        Office, as such term is defined in section 241.1 of title 39, 
        Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation, and 
        includes a post office branch or post office station.
            ``(4) Website.--The term `Website' means the website 
        described in subsection (a).''.
    (b) Implementation Deadline.--Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Postal Service shall establish 
the website required under section 3692(a) of title 39, United States 
Code, as added by this Act.
    (c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 36 of 
title 39, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 3691 the following new item:

``3692. Post office emergency suspension website.''.
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