,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #bfae  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #h1 #bjac ,mr4 
,smith of ,nebraska 7for himself1 ,mr4  
,mc,intyre1 ,mrs4 ,lummis1 and ,mr4     
,enyart7 introduced the following bill2 
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,oversight and ,government ,reform  ,a  
,,bill  ,to amend title #ci1 ,united    
,states ,code1 to cap rural post office 
closures at no more than #e percent of  
total closures in any given year1 and   
for other purposes4  #a4 ,short title   
,this ,act may be cited as the ,securing
 ,access to ,rural ,postal ,services    
,act of #bjac4  #b4 ,treatment of       
closures and consolidations  7a7 ,rural 
post office annual closure limitation   
7#a7 ,in general ,section #djd;a7a7 of  
title #ci1 ,united ,states ,code1 is    
amended--  7,a7 in paragraph 7#b71 by   
striking or at the end2  7,b7 in        
paragraph 7#c71 by striking the period  
and inserting 2 or2 and  7,c7 by adding 
at the end the following3  7#d7 in any  

calendar year1 close1 consolidate1 or   
suspend the operations of more than #e  
percent of the postal facilities that-- 
7,a7 were operating as of the first day 
of such calendar year2 and  7,b7 were   
within the ,k or ,l cost ascertainment  
grouping as of ,june #bc1 #bjaa4  4     
7#b7 ,definition ,section #djd;a of     
title #ci1 ,united ,states ,code1 is    
amended by adding at the end the        
following3  7d7 ,for purposes of        
subsection 7a77#d71 the term postal     
facility means a post office1 post      
office branch1 post office classified   
station1 or other facility which is     
operated by the ,postal ,service1 and   
the primary function of which is to     
provide retail postal services4  4  7b7 
,alternative postal access choice       
,section #djd7;d7 of title #ci1 ,united 
,states ,code1 is amended by striking   
all that precedes paragraph 7#b7 and    
inserting the following3  7d7 7#a7 ,the 
,postal ,service1 prior to making a     
determination under subsection 7a77#c7  

as to the necessity for the closing or  
consolidation or any post office1       
shall--  7,a7 provide adequate notice of
 its intention to close or consolidate  
such post office at least #fj days prior
 to the proposed date of such closing or
 consolidation to postal customers      
served by such post office2  7,b7       
conduct a nonbinding survey on the      
proposed closing or consolidation to    
allow postal customers served by such   
post office an opportunity to indicate  
their preference between or among--  7i7
 the closing or consolidation2 and  7ii7
 #a or more alternative options2 and    
7,c7 ensure that--  7i7 should the      
closure or consolidation of a post      
office be deemed necessary1 it shall be 
the policy of the ,postal ,service to   
provide alternative access to postal    
services to those served by the post    
office by--  7,i7 the alternative option
 under subparagraph 7,b77ii72 or  7,,ii7
 if more than one1 the option under     
subparagraph 7,b77ii7 preferred by the  

greatest number of survey respondents2  
and  7ii7 if the ,postal ,service is    
unable to provide alternative access    
through the option described in clause  
7i7 or if such option would be cost     
prohibitive1 the ,postal ,service--     
7,i7 may provide alternative access     
through a different means2 and  7,,ii7  
shall provide written notice to postal  
customers served by the post office     
identifying and explaining why the      
option identified by clause 7i7 was not 
possible or cost prohibitive1 as the    
case may be4  4