Protect Postal Performance Act

Summary#

This bill changes how the United States Postal Service (USPS) can close or consolidate post offices and processing centers. It requires public hearings during the 60-day comment period for a proposed post office closure or consolidation. The USPS must publish a summary of that hearing within 7 days and cannot close or consolidate the post office until 180 days after that summary is published. A post office cannot be closed if it is not within 15 miles of another post office or if it is the closest post office for a population of 15,000 or more.

The bill adds new rules for processing and distribution centers. It blocks actions that would leave a geographically non-contiguous region of a State with more than 100,000 residents without any processing center. The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) must give an advisory opinion before the USPS implements changes to mail processing facilities; the PRC must issue that opinion within 120 business days after the USPS submits a proposed change. If the PRC finds a proposed change will slow on-time mail delivery, the USPS must publish a report on steps it will take to maintain on-time delivery, and may not carry out the change for 180 days after that report is published. The bill also forbids the Postal Service from carrying out the Mail Processing Facility Review and bars federal funds from being used for that Review.

The bill prevents closing or moving services from processing centers in any Postal Service district that, during the prior calendar year, failed to meet specified on-time delivery benchmarks (at least 93% for two-day first-class mail and at least 90.3% for three-to-five-day first-class mail). It also prohibits local and regional transportation optimization plans that would decrease how often mail is picked up or dropped off at any post office, and requires a PRC opinion before changing pick-up or drop-off schedules. If the PRC does not recommend such schedule changes, the USPS may not implement them.

What it means for you#

• If your local post office is proposed for closure or consolidation, there must be a public hearing you can attend in person or virtually. A hearing summary will appear on the USPS website and closures cannot happen until 180 days after that summary is posted.
• Some post offices are protected from closure based on distance to other offices and the size of the population they serve.
• Proposed changes to large mail processing centers must get a formal advisory opinion from the Postal Regulatory Commission before going forward. If the PRC says a change will harm on-time delivery, the USPS must wait at least 180 days after publishing a plan to address that harm before implementing the change.
• If a USPS district missed specific on-time delivery targets in the previous year, processing centers in that district cannot be closed or moved that year.
• The USPS cannot reduce how often mail is picked up or dropped off at post offices as part of the named optimization programs without PRC approval. If the PRC does not recommend the change, the USPS may not make the change anywhere.

Expenses#

No publicly available information about total costs, savings, or budget effects is included in the bill text. The bill does state that no Federal funds may be obligated or expended to carry out the United States Postal Service Mail Processing Facility Review.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.