,i #aadth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dfef ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,march #a1 #bjaf ,mr4 ,huffman 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,mc,kinley1 ,mr4 ,serrano1 and ,mr4 ,jenkins of ,west ,virginia7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,oversight and ,government ,reform ,a ,,bill ,to place a moratorium on the ,united ,states ,postal ,service's mail processing facility closure and consolidation and to maintain ,postal ,service delivery standards1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,stop ,postal ,closures ,act of #bjaf4 #b4 ,postal facility closure and consolidations 7a7 ,moratorium on closings and consolidations ,beginning on the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,united ,states ,postal ,service may not close or consolidate any postal facility 7as that term is defined in section #djd7;f77#e7 of title #ci1 ,united ,states ,code1 as added by subsection 7b771 or carry out any network rationalization activity1 until the ,postal ,regulatory ,commission has certified that the ,postal ,service has met the national service standards in accordance with the requirements of section #c4 7b7 ,process for closing and consolidating processing facilities ,section #djd of title #ci1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7f7 7#a7 ,the ,postal ,service may not close or consolidate any postal facility without the approval of the ,postal ,regulatory ,commission1 as provided in this subsection4 ,for purposes of this subsection1 the term postal facility means a ,postal ,service facility that is primarily involved in the preparation1 dispatch1 or other physical processing of mail1 but does not include-- 7,a7 any post office1 station1 or branch2 or 7,b7 any facility used only for administrative functions4 7#b7 ,before making a determination to close or consolidate any postal facility1 the ,postal ,service shall conduct an area mail processing study with respect to the facility4 ,such study shall include-- 7,a7 a plan to reduce the capacity of the facility without closing the facility2 7,b7 an analysis of the effect of the closure or consolidation on the ability of individuals served by the facility to vote by mail and the ability of the ,postal ,service to timely deliver ballots in elections for public office by mail in accordance with the deadline to return ballots established under applicable law2 7,c7 an analysis of the effect of closure or consolidation on the-- 7i7 ability of individuals served by the facility to receive medications and other crucial notices and market-dominant products2 7ii7 affected community1 including any disproportionate impact on a ,state1 region1 or locality2 7iii7 travel times and distances for affected customers to access postal services2 7iv7 delivery times for all classes of mail2 and 7v7 small businesses in the area1 including shipping and communications with customers and suppliers and the corresponding impact on revenues1 operations1 and growth2 7,d7 an analysis of any characteristics of the geographic area in which the facility is located that may have a unique effect1 including remoteness1 broadband internet availability1 and weather-related obstacles to using alternative postal facilities2 and 7,e7 any other factor the ,postal ,service determines necessary4 7#c7 ,the ,postmaster ,general shall publish-- 7,a7 any study completed under paragraph 7#b7 on the ,postal ,service public ,web site2 and 7,b7 a notice that the study is complete and available to the public4 7#d7 ,if the ,postal ,service makes a determination to close or consolidate a postal facility after completing the requirements of paragraphs 7#b7 and 7#c71 the ,postal ,service shall-- 7,a7 provide written notice of the determination to ,congress and the ,postal ,regulatory ,commission2 7,b7 provide adequate public notice of the intention to close or consolidate the facility1 including through written notification 7in multiple languages where necessary71 within #cj days after the date notice is provided under subparagraph 7,a71 to each person in the zip code served by such postal facility2 7,c7 during the period of #abj days beginning on the date that is #cj days after the date notice is provided under subparagraph 7,a71 ensure that interested persons have an opportunity to submit public comments2 7,d7 prior to the period described in subparagraph 7,c71 provide for public notice of such opportunity by-- 7i7 publication on the ,postal ,service public ,web site2 7ii7 prominent posting at the affected postal facility2 and 7iii7 advertising the dates and locations of the public community meetings required under subparagraph 7,e72 and 7,e7 during the period described in subparagraph 7,c71 conduct at least #c public meetings located within the area affected by the closing or consolidation that provides an opportunity for public comments to be submitted verbally or in writing4 7#e7 ,before the date on which the ,postal ,service proposes to close or consolidate a postal facility1 the ,postal ,service shall publish on the ,postal ,service public ,web site-- 7,a7 notice of the final determination to close or consolidate the facility2 and 7,b7 a justification statement that includes-- 7i7 a response to all public comments received under paragraph 7#d72 7ii7 the considerations made by the ,postal ,service under such paragraph2 and 7iii7 the actions that will be taken by the ,postal ,service to mitigate any negative effects identified under such paragraph4 7#f7 7,a7 ,beginning on the date that the ,postal ,service publishes the notice under paragraph 7#e71 the ,postal ,regulatory ,commission shall have #ij days to-- 7i7 review the study1 public comments1 and the ,postal ,service's response and notice1 as described in such paragraphs2 and 7ii7 approve or disapprove of the closure or consolidation4 7,b7 ,if the ,commission disapproves the closure or consolidation1 the ,postal ,service may not attempt to consolidate or close that facility under this subsection for two years beginning on the date of the ,commission's determination under subparagraph 7,a77ii74 ,a disapproval notice under this subparagraph shall be published on the ,commission's public ,web site4 7,c7 ,if the ,commission approves the closure or consolidation1 the ,postal ,service may not begin the closure or consolidation action until the date that is #ae days after the date of the ,commission's approval4 ,an approval notice under this subparagraph shall be published on the ,commission's public ,web site4 4 7c7 ,application ,the amendment made by subsection 7b7 shall apply to any closure or consolidation determination made by the ,united ,states ,postal ,service with respect to a postal facility 7as that term is defined in section #djd7;f77#a7 of title #ci1 ,united ,states ,code1 as added by subsection 7b77 on or after the date of enactment of this ,act4 #c4 ,market-dominant product service standards 7a7 ,national mail delivery service standards ,with respect to any market-dominant product 7as that term is defined in section #ajb7h7 of title #ci1 ,united ,states ,code7-- 7#a7 the national service standards implemented by the ,united ,states ,postal ,service and in effect on ,january #e1 #bjae1 shall have no force or effect2 and 7#b7 the ,postal ,service shall reinstate the national service standards that were in effect on ,july #a1 #bjab4 7b7 ,delivery standards enforcement ,the ,postal ,regulatory ,commission shall determine1 on an annual basis and using the performance ratings established under subsection 7c71 if the ,united ,states ,postal ,service is meeting the national service standards established under subsection 7a7 for market-dominant products4 ,such determination shall be submitted to the ,federal ,register4 7c7 ,performance ratings ,the ,postal ,regulatory ,commission shall rate the performance of the ,postal ,service with respect to-- 7#a7 each #c-;digit zip code area1 postal district1 and operational area2 7#b7 all postal districts-- 7,a7 by urban1 suburban1 or rural category2 and 7,b7 nationwide2 7#c7 all operational areas-- 7,a7 by urban1 suburban1 or rural category2 and 7,b7 nationwide2 7#d7 market-dominant products nationwide2 and 7#e7 first-class mail nationwide4 7d7 ,definition of urban1 suburban1 and rural ,for purposes of subsection 7c71 the ,postal ,regulatory ,commission-- 7#a7 shall promulgate regulations to define the terms urban1 suburban1 and rural2 7#b7 in defining the terms under paragraph 7#a71 shall-- 7,a7 consider-- 7i7 any recommendations submitted to the ,commission by the ,postmaster ,general2 and 7ii7 existing definitions of those terms that are in use by the ,postal ,service1 the ,federal ,government1 and other sources2 and 7,b7 incorporate stakeholder input2 and 7#c7 shall categorize each #c-;digit zip code area as an urban1 suburban1 or rural community4 7e7 ,corrective action 7#a7 ,in general ,if the ,postal ,regulatory ,commission finds that the ,postal ,service is not meeting the national service standards1 the ,commission may recommend to the ,postal ,service corrective actions and reasonable performance targets to meet the standards4 ,the recommendations shall be published on the ,commission's public ,web site and annually submitted to ,congress and the ,postal ,service4 7#b7 ,postal ,service response ,not later than #fj days after receiving any recommendations under paragraph 7#a71 the ,postmaster ,general shall respond in writing to the recommendations4 ,the response shall explain how the ,postal ,service will change operations to achieve the recommendations4 ,the response shall be published on the ,commission's public ,web site and annually submitted to ,congress and the ,commission4