Miami, FL – Last week, Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-26) and Scott Franklin (FL-18) introduced the Post Office Closure Accountability Act, a legislative proposal aimed at increasing transparency and accountability in the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) operations. This would require USPS to provide notice to the community of any official closure of a postal office, including any “temporary suspension” of a postal office.
Under current federal law, the USPS is only required to notify communities of any permanent closure of a post office through the existing Section 404(d) process. The USPS has been using the “temporary suspension” loophole to avoid reporting these closures to communities, local officials, and Members of Congress.
“I am proud to cosponsor this bill to ensure that the USPS remains accountable to the customers it serves and that mail delivery remains timely,” said Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart. “This legislation is a direct response to the lack of communication and transparency we’ve all experienced from USPS. Families, small businesses, veterans, first responders, and seniors should be notified in advance before a post office shuts down its operations. Individuals expecting important and time-sensitive mail, such as U.S. passports, life-saving medication, legal and financial documents, must be given the opportunity to make preparations ahead of time so that they can continue to receive their mail without interruption.”
“The U.S. Postal Service must be accountable and transparent to the people it serves,” said Congressman Scott Franklin. “Our constituents depend on timely mail delivery. It’s particularly important when it involves critical items like prescriptions, legal paperwork or financial documents. If a post office shuts down, whether permanently or temporarily, people deserve fair notice so they can plan accordingly. This bill closes a loophole and helps restore confidence in one of our most relied-upon public services.”
Background
The Post Office Closure Accountability Act will:
- Require USPS to provide advance public notice and ongoing updates for all temporary suspensions.
- Mandate that the beginning date, justification, anticipated timeframe, and future action be provided on the notice.
- Ensure that the notice is distributed 60 days prior to the expected date of a planned suspension or on the earliest date possible.
- Require that the notice will be mailed and emailed, present at the physical location, shared on the USPS website, and posted on all relevant social media.
