Official Summaries

Mandating Advisable and Informed Locations and Solutions Act or the MAILS Act

This bill requires the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to (1) establish a formal process for a local government official to request a new post office, and (2) modify how it communicates with local officials and the public about certain topics.

Specifically, USPS must modify existing regulations with respect to temporary relocations of postal retail services for holidays, special events, overflow business, and commemorative events. USPS may not implement any such temporary relocation for more than two days unless it first collects and considers community input. USPS must also provide specified notifications to local officials and the public, periodic updates to local officials, and a public presentation about such a relocation.

Current Full Text

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 155 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 155

 To improve communication between the United States Postal Service and 
   local communities relating to the relocation and establishment of 
   Postal Service retail service facilities, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 21, 2025

   Mr. Crapo (for himself, Mr. Risch, and Mr. Schatz) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
               Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To improve communication between the United States Postal Service and 
   local communities relating to the relocation and establishment of 
   Postal Service retail service facilities, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Mandating Advisable and Informed 
Locations and Solutions Act'' or the ``MAILS Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Post office.--The term ``post office''--
                    (A) means a facility that--
                            (i) is owned or leased by the Postal 
                        Service;
                            (ii) is managed by a Postmaster;
                            (iii) has responsibility for--
                                    (I) customer services;
                                    (II) local delivery; and
                                    (III) receipt and dispatch of all 
                                classes of mail; and
                            (iv) may have responsibility for processing 
                        and distribution of mail for other such 
                        facilities in the surrounding geographic area; 
                        and
                    (B) includes a remotely managed post office, a 
                part-time post office, and an administrative post 
                office.
            (2) Postal service.--The term ``Postal Service'' means the 
        United States Postal Service.
            (3) Temporary relocation.--The term ``temporary 
        relocation'' means a temporary relocation of retail services 
        from a post office to support Postal Service business for a 
        holiday, special event, or overflow business, as described in 
        paragraph (a)(2)(i) of section 241.4 of title 39, Code of 
        Federal Regulations.

SEC. 3. REQUESTS FOR NEW POST OFFICES.

    Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Postal Service shall establish by regulation a formal process for a 
local government official to request a new post office within the 
locality.

SEC. 4. COMMUNICATION RELATING TO POST OFFICE RELOCATION.

    The Postal Service shall amend section 241.4 of title 39, Code of 
Federal Regulations, to provide the following:
            (1) Community input.--The Postal Service may not implement 
        a temporary relocation, including for a commemorative event, 
        for a period longer than 2 days without collecting and 
        considering community input under paragraph (c) of that 
        section.
            (2) Notification.--
                    (A) Elected officials.--Not later than 30 days 
                before the date of a temporary relocation, the Postal 
                Service shall--
                            (i) submit to 1 or more local elected 
                        officials in the area in which the affected 
                        post office is located a written outline of the 
                        proposal; and
                            (ii) offer to discuss the proposal with the 
                        elected official under paragraph (c) of that 
                        section.
                    (B) Public presentation.--The Postal Service 
                shall--
                            (i) not later than 15 days before the date 
                        of a temporary relocation, provide public 
                        notice of the temporary relocation in the area 
                        in which the affected post office is located; 
                        and
                            (ii) not later than 15 days after providing 
                        notice to local elected officials under 
                        subparagraph (A)(i), hold a public presentation 
                        under paragraph (c) of that section.
            (3) Periodic updates.--Not later than 60 days after the end 
        of the initial 30-day comment period under paragraph (c) of 
        that section, and every 60 days thereafter until the date that 
        is 60 days after the last day of a temporary relocation, the 
        Postal Service shall submit to relevant local government 
        officials updates on the status of the temporary relocation.

SEC. 5. REPORT.

    (a) Report Required.--With respect to any temporary relocation for 
a period that is longer than 180 days (whether due to the originally 
projected length of the relocation or due to an extension), not later 
than 30 days after the first day of the temporary relocation (or of the 
extension that caused the length of the relocation to exceed 180 days, 
if applicable), the Postal Service shall submit a report relating to 
the temporary relocation or extension to--
            (1) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
        Affairs of the Senate;
            (2) the Committee on Oversight and Accountability of the 
        House of Representatives; and
            (3) the members of Congress who represent the congressional 
        district or State in which the affected post office is located.
    (b) Contents of Report.--Each report described in subsection (a) 
shall include a discussion of--
            (1) whether the communication requirements were met within 
        the required timelines, and if not, an explanation for the 
        failure to comply with the requirements; and
            (2) whether the period of the temporary relocation is being 
        extended, and if so, an explanation for the extension.
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