Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) introduced the Upholding USPS Delivery Standards and Election Integrity Act in the United States House of Representatives amid heightened public concern over changes to local mail facility processes.
“I have consistently been hearing serious concerns regarding the impact of new USPS mail facility reviews slowing delivery times and potentially impacting election operations here in the state,” said Rep. Newhouse.
Newhouse continued, “This bill codifies a guarantee that the USPS cannot conduct mail center reviews during an election year. We don’t want to see these reviews lead to a potential change in operations that could interrupt the ballot collection box delivery processes amid an election. I also included a provision to prevent the USPS from closing small and rural post offices. This steers us clear of situations where mail is forced out to more metropolitan areas, slowing down delivery, and protects offices like Wenatchee and Yakima that have experienced such an attempt by the USPS.”
The bill requires three actions to occur:
1) The USPS may not consolidate or close small rural and other small post offices.
2) The USPS may not perform a mail processing facility review or implement changes pursuant to a mail processing facility review during an election year.
3) The USPS Office of Inspector General must conduct an audit of all collection box removal processes and submit a report to Congress.
The bill outlines seven Congressional Findings and are summarized below:
1) The mandate of the USPS, as outlined in 39 U.S.C. 101, is described.
2) In 2021, the USPS announces the Delivering For America plan and their use of Mail Processing Facility Reviews, which have the potential to impact delivery standards and ballot collection processes across the Nation.
3) Thousands of concerned American citizens and representatives voice opinions against these reviews to the Postmaster General demanding answers to these legitimate concerns.
4) The Postal Regulatory Commission and the USPS Inspector General possess the statutory authority to audit and issue advisory opinions about USPS practices, as outlined in 39 U.S.C. 501.
5) In March 2024, an Inspector General audit outlined the negative impact of these reviews including worse service, an inadequately informed public, decreased employee availability, and increase in late and canceled mail transportation trips.
6) In April 2024, the Postal Regulatory Commission issued an order regarding these reviewal processes and their negative impact on delivery standards and required the USPS to either submit to an advisory opinion or justify why said opinion is not warranted.
7) In May 2024, the USPS agreed to pause some of the reforms until January 1, 2025, and outlined which reforms remain ongoing in 2024. Yakima and Wenatchee are postponed till 2025.
The decision to postpone some of the operational changes to the Yakima and Wenatchee offices until 2025 is a direct result of an oversight letter by Rep. Newhouse sent in February 2024 to the Postmaster General that was replicated by numerous Members and Senators. This oversight was successful, and this bill serves to codify the success of that process.
Full bill text can be found here.
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