Representatives Scott Franklin (R-FL) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) have introduced legislation to improve the United States Postal Service's (USPS) transparency and accountability regarding post office closures.
Specifically, the Post Office Closure Accountability Act requires USPS to inform their communities, Congressmen, and local officials of instances wherein post offices are permanently closed or temporarily suspended.
Rep. Franklin's bill responds to instances of post offices reporting themselves as "temporarily suspended" to bypass the Section 404 process for filing as permanently closed. Thus, the new bill closes this loophole.
"The U.S. Postal Service must be accountable and transparent to the people it serves," said Rep. Franklin in his press release, adding, "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."
Similarly, Rep. Diaz-Balart said, "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."
"This legislation is a direct response to the lack of communication and transparency we've all experienced from USPS," Rep. Diaz-Balart continued, adding, "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."
At the end of October, Representative Aaron Bean (R-FL) wrote to USPS Inspector General Tammy Hull, demanding answers about the consistently slow, lost, or undelivered mail plaguing the Jacksonville Regional Processing and Distribution Center (RPDC).
An egregious case highlighted in Rep. Bean's letter involved a package sent from Texas to Jacksonville that was somehow redirected to Puerto Rico and then ultimately delivered all the way to Alaska.
