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This bill would stop the U.S. Postal Service from shutting down, merging, or downgrading its main mail processing centers in any state if doing so would leave that state without any processing and distribution center. In simple terms, it is meant to make sure every state keeps at least one major postal facility that sorts and sends mail. The bill also says what kinds of facilities count under this rule, including central mail facilities that handle incoming and outgoing mail for an area and give sorting and mailing instructions to senders.
The rule applies to any “processing and distribution center” in a state or the District of Columbia.
A covered facility is one that sorts and dispatches incoming and outgoing mail for a service area, and may also include certain sectional center facilities, general mail facilities, or dedicated mail processing facilities.
The Postal Service would not be allowed to take any action that would leave a state with no processing and distribution center at all.
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Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 569 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 569
To limit the closure or consolidation of any United States Postal
Service processing and distribution center in States, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 13, 2025
Ms. Lummis (for herself, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Barrasso, and Mrs. Shaheen)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To limit the closure or consolidation of any United States Postal
Service processing and distribution center in States, 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 ``Postal Operations Stay Timely and
Local Act'' or the ``POSTAL Act''.
SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON CLOSING OR CONSOLIDATING POSTAL SERVICE
PROCESSING AND DISTRIBUTION CENTERS IN STATES.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Processing and distribution center.--The term
``processing and distribution center'' means a central mail
facility that--
(A) distributes and dispatches part or all of both
incoming mail and outgoing mail for a designated
service area;
(B) provides instructions on the preparation of
collection mail, dispatch schedules, and sorting plan
requirements to mailers; and
(C) is a sectional center facility, a general mail
facility, or a dedicated mail processing facility
without a station or branch.
(2) State.--The term ``State'' means a State or the
District of Columbia.
(b) Limitation.--The United States Postal Service may not close,
consolidate, downgrade, or take any other similar action with respect
to a processing and distribution center in a State if such action would
result in there being no processing and distribution center located in
that State.
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