Community Post Office Relocation Act

Bill: 113-hr-1016
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Peters, Scott H. [D-CA-52]
Introduced: 2013-03-06
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Government buildings, facilities, and property

Postal service

U.S. Postal Service
Latest action: action_date: 2013-03-06
text: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Summaries:
action_date: 2013-03-06
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>Community Post Office Relocation Act - Authorizes the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to sell, at fair market value, to certain tax-exempt private organizations fee simple title to USPS-owned post office buildings containing an office subject to relocation.</p> <p>Requires such tax-exempt private organizations, in order to be considered an eligible buyer, to have operated primarily within the geographic area served by the relevant post office building for at least five years prior to a USPS announcement that the building will be available for sale.</p> <p>Sets forth a procedure for the USPS to enter negotiations with eligible buyers in the order in which buyers submit their offers. Directs the USPS to sell such a building to the first organization submitting an offer for fair market value if all other relevant conditions are met within specified time periods.</p> <p>Permits the USPS, after the sale of a building under this Act, to lease the building from the buyer at fair market value for purposes of operating a post office.</p> <p>Requires the USPS, if a buyer under this Act makes the building available for sale, to maintain a right of first refusal to purchase the building back from the buyer at the lesser of fair market value or the purchase price plus any improvements.</p>

tv_txt: I 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1016 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 6, 2013 Mr. Peters of California (for himself, Mrs. Davis of California , and Mr. Vargas ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform A BILL To amend title 39, United States Code, to authorize the United States Postal Service to sell, at fair market value, any post office building subject to relocation, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Community Post Office Relocation Act . 2. Sale of post office buildings subject to relocation (a) In general Chapter 4 of title 39, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 417. Authority to sell buildings containing post offices subject to relocation (a) In addition to the authority provided under section 401(5), the Postal Service may sell, at fair market value, to an eligible buyer fee simple title to a covered post office building. (b) (1) Beginning on the date on which the Postal Service makes an announcement, as described in paragraph (2), that a covered post office building is for sale, an eligible buyer shall have 30 days to make an offer to the Postal Service for the purchase of such building. (2) The announcement under paragraph (1) shall be posted prominently in a publicly accessible space in the covered post office building subject to sale. (c) (1) The Postal Service shall enter into negotiations for the sale of such building with the eligible buyer that submits the first offer, as determined by postmark date, during such 30-day period. If such negotiations fail, then the Postal Service shall enter into negotiations for sale with each subsequent eligible buyer, as determined by postmark date, that submits an offer during such 30-day period until a sale is made or until all such eligible buyers are exhausted. (2) If an offer under paragraph (1) is for the fair market value of such building, and all other relevant conditions have been met with respect to making a successful sale within 45 days after the postmark date of such offer, the Postal Service shall sell such building to such buyer. (3) The fair market value of a post office building sold by the Postal Service under this section shall be determined by an independent professional appraiser, licensed within the State in which such building is located, mutually agreed upon by the Postal Service and the eligible buyer. (d) (1) After the sale of a covered post office building to an eligible buyer under this section, the Postal Service may lease, at fair market value, such building from such buyer for purposes of operating a post office in such building. (2) If the Postal Service does not require all of the space in such building while operating a post office pursuant to paragraph (1), the eligible buyer may use the remaining space for any purpose permitted under Federal, State, or local law or regulation. (e) If an eligible buyer makes a covered post office purchased under this section available for sale, the Postal Service shall have the right of first refusal to purchase such building at fair market value or at the price of such purchase plus any improvements, whichever is less. (f) For purposes of this section— (1) the term covered post office building means a building owned by the Postal Service that contains a post office subject to relocation (as that term is described in section 241.4 of title 39, Code of Federal Regulations); and (2) the term eligible buyer means a private organization— (A) that is described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code; (B) that operates primarily within the geographic area served by a covered post office building subject to sale under this section; and (C) that has been in operation within such area for at least 5 years prior to the date on which the announcement of the sale of the building is made (as described in subsection (b)(1)). . (b) Technical amendment The table of sections of chapter 4 of title 39, United States Code, is amended by adding after the item relating to section 416 the following new item: 417. Authority to sell buildings containing post offices subject to relocation. .