S. 2875 — Introduced in Senate

II 118th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 2875 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 21, 2023Mr. Hawley introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs A BILL To require the prompt reconstruction of and restoration of suspended operation of rural post offices, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Rural Post Office Reconstruction Act of 2023. 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Rural communities rely heavily on post offices for daily life. (2) Many rural towns lack access to digital communications and high-speed broadband. (3) The loss of a functioning post office in a rural community jeopardizes vital services, including reliable medical deliveries, payment disbursements, and essential communications. (4) Efficiently and promptly rebuilding rural post offices is necessary to ensure individuals retain vital services. 3. Reconstruction and restoration of suspended post offices (a) Amendment Chapter 4 of title 39, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 417. Reconstruction and restoration of suspended post offices (a) Definitions In this section— (1) the term damaged rural post office means a rural post office— (A) that becomes inoperable or suffers irreparable damage on or after the date that is 2 years before the date of enactment of this section; and (B) for which no alternate suitable quarters exist in the community; (2) the term rural post office means a post office located in an area not included within an urban area (as defined by the Bureau of the Census); and (3) the term suspended rural post office means a rural post office that suspends operation due to a lease or rental agreement termination on or after the date that is 2 years before the date of enactment of this section. (b) Reconstruction (1) In general The Postal Service shall commence reconstruction of a damaged rural post office, which shall be carried out in consultation with the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency if the damage is due to a natural disaster— (A) if the damaged rural post office becomes inoperable or suffers irreparable damage on or after the date of enactment of this section, not later than 90 days after the date of such inoperability or irreparable damage; and (B) if the damaged rural post office became inoperable or suffered irreparable damage not more than 2 years before the date of enactment of this section, not later than 90 days after the date of such enactment. (2) Exception The Postal Service shall delay reconstruction of a damaged rural post office under paragraph (1) if individuals directly involved with the reconstruction will be subject to physical injury or undue risk due to the reconstruction efforts until such time as it would be safe for those individuals to proceed with the reconstruction. (c) Restoration of suspended operation The Postal Service, in consultation with the Administrator of General Services, shall secure a suitable replacement lease or rental agreement for a suspended rural post office— (1) if the suspended rural post office suspends operation on or after the date of enactment of this section, not later than 90 days after the date of suspension of operation; and (2) if the suspended rural post office suspended operation not more than 2 years before the date of enactment of this section, not later than 90 days after the date of such enactment. (d) Report required If the Postal Service does not execute the measures described in subsection (b) or (c) within the time period required under the applicable subsection, the Postmaster General shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability of the House of Representatives a report that— (1) describes in detail the specific reasons why reconstruction of the damaged rural post office or restoration of operation of the suspended rural post office was not performed; (2) describes in detail any remediation efforts for individuals adversely affected by the suspension of mail operations; and (3) provides a specific timeline for completion of the reconstruction or restoration of operations, as applicable. . (b) Technical and conforming amendment The table of sections for chapter 4 of title 39, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 416 the following: 417. Reconstruction and restoration of suspended post offices. . 4. Funding No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the amendments made by this Act. 5. Effective date The amendments made by this Act shall take effect on the date that is 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act.