119th Congress (2025-2026)

HR 2103

Protect Postal Performance Act

Introduced

Jurisdiction

US Congress

Session

119th Congress (2025-2026)

Official source

Chamber

House

Session

119th Congress (2025-2026)

Jurisdiction

US Congress

Bill overview

The Protect Postal Performance Act aims to strengthen the Postal Service’s ability to make decisions about post office closures and processing center changes. It requires a public hearing and summary publication before closures or consolidations can occur, and establishes a 180-day waiting period. The bill also restricts closures in areas with significant populations and prohibits the Postal Service from conducting a current facility review while requiring the Postal Regulatory Commission to weigh in on proposed changes to mail processing facilities and transportation optimization efforts.

Key provisions

Requires a 60-day public hearing and summary publication before post office closures or consolidations.
Prevents closures or consolidations of post offices located more than 15 miles apart or serving populations of 15,000 or more.
Prohibits the Postal Service from closing or consolidating processing and distribution centers that would leave a State without any non-contiguous regional center.
Requires the Postal Regulatory Commission to issue an advisory opinion before changes to mail processing facilities can be implemented.
Prevents the Postal Service from implementing local or regional transportation optimization efforts that would decrease mail pickup or drop-off frequency.
Prohibits the Postal Service from conducting the United States Postal Service Mail Processing Facility Review.
Establishes benchmarks for on-time mail delivery (93% for two-day, 90.3% for three-to-five-day) and restricts closures of processing centers failing to meet these benchmarks.
Mandates a 180-day waiting period after the publication of a summary of a closure or consolidation hearing.

Positions across the country

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Legislative history

2025-03-14House

Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

2025-03-14

Introduced in House

2025-03-14

Introduced in House

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Mar 14, 2025XMLView source

119th CONGRESS — 1st Session

H. R. 2103

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

A BILL

To modify the procedures used by the United States Postal Service for the closure or consolidation of any post office or any processing and distribution center, and for other purposes.

1.Short title

This Act may be cited as the

Protect Postal Performance Act

2.Limitation on closure and consolidations of post offices

Section 404(d) of title 39, United States Code, is amended—

(1)

in paragraph (4)—

(A)

by striking The Postal Service and insert (A) The Postal Service; and

(B)

by adding at the end the following:

(B)During such 60-day period, the Postal Service shall carry out a public hearing on the closure or consolidation, which may be attended in-person or virtually by any members of the public affected by the closure or consolidation.

(C)

Not later than 7 days after such hearing, the Postal Service shall publish a summary of the hearing on the Postal Service’s public website, and include in such summary a description of any comments made or otherwise submitted at such hearing and the percentage of such comments that were in support or against the closure or consolidation.

(D)

Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, the applicable post office may not be closed or consolidated until the date that is 180 days after the date the summary is published under subparagraph (C).

; and

(2)

by adding at the end the following:

(7)Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, a post office may not be closed or consolidated if such post office—

(A)

is not located within 15 miles of any other post office; or

(B)

is the closest post office for a population of 15,000 individuals or more.

3.Postal Service processing and distribution centers; transportation optimization

(a)In generalChapter 4 of title 39, United States Code, is amended by adding after section 416 the following:

417.Postal Service processing and distribution centers

(a)In generalThe United States Postal Service may not close, consolidate, downgrade, or take any other similar action with respect to any processing and distribution center in a State if such action would result in no such center being located in that State in any geographically non-contiguous region of that State inhabited by more than 100,000 permanent residents. In this subsection, the term geographically non-contiguous region means an area of a State that is physically separated from the main body of the State by a significant body of water or land controlled by another State.

(b)Limitation on changes to mail processing facilities

(1)In generalNotwithstanding any other provision of law, the Postal Service may not implement or otherwise carry out any changes to the operations of its mail processing facilities (including consolidation or partial consolidation, aggregation of processing, distribution, or delivery operations) until on or after the date that the Postal Regulatory Commission issues an advisory opinion on the proposed facility changes.

(2)DeadlineThe Postal Regulatory Commission shall issue the advisory opinion required under paragraph (1) not later than 120 business days after the date the Postal Service submits to the Commission a proposed change to any such facility.

(3)Other requirementsThe Commission shall issue an advisory opinion for each processing and distribution center at which the Postal Service has proposed changes, downsizing, and consolidations.

(4)ReportIf an advisory opinion by the Commission under this subsection determines that a proposed change will lead to slower on-time mail delivery, the Postal Service shall publish a report on the Postal Service’s public website on practices and procedures the Postal Service will implement to ensure mail delivery remains on time. No such changes may be implemented or otherwise carried out for the period of 180 days beginning on the date such report is so published.

(c)Prohibiting on carrying out mail processing facility reviewNotwithstanding any other provision of law, the Postal Service may not carry out the United States Postal Service Mail Processing Facility Review (or any successor program), and no Federal funds (including amounts in the Postal Service Fund under section 2003) may be obligated or expended to carry out such Review.

(d)Limitation of the closure of processing and distribution centers in regions that are not meeting on-Time delivery benchmarksDuring any calendar year, the Postal Service may not close, consolidate, or otherwise move any operations or services from any processing and distribution center located within any Postal Service district that, during anytime within the immediately preceding calendar year, failed to meet—

(1)at least 93 percent on-time delivery rate for two-day single first-class mail; and

(2)at least 90.3 percent on-time delivery rate for three to five-day first-class mail.

(e)DefinitionsIn this section—

(1)

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; and

(2)

the term State means the 50 States and the District of Columbia.

418.Local transportation optimization and regional transportation optimization changes

(a)In generalThe Postal Service may not implement or otherwise carry out any local transportation optimization (in this section referred to as LTO) and regional transportation optimization (in this section referred to as RTO) efforts that will decrease the number of times mail is either picked up or dropped off for any post office in the country.

(b)PRC opinionThe Postal Service may not proceed with changing drop off and pick up schedules at post offices as part of the LTO or RTO plans without requesting a Postal Regulatory Commission opinion.

(c)LimitationIf the Postal Regulatory Commission does not recommend implementing these changes in an opinion under subsection (b), the Postal Service may not move forward with LTO or RTO optimization efforts anywhere in the United States.

(b)Clerical amendment

The table of sections for such chapter is amended by adding after the item relating to section 416 the following:

417. Postal Service processing and distribution centers.

418. Local transportation optimization and regional transportation optimization changes.

HR 2103

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