HR2103-119

What This Bill Does

The Protect Postal Performance Act puts statutory brakes on USPS network changes. USPS may not close, consolidate, downgrade, or take similar action on a processing and distribution center if it would leave a geographically non-contiguous region of a state with more than 100,000 permanent residents without such a center. USPS may not implement mail processing facility changes, including consolidation, partial consolidation, aggregation of processing, distribution, or delivery operations, until the Postal Regulatory Commission issues an advisory opinion. The PRC must issue that opinion within 120 business days and must issue an opinion for each affected center. If the PRC finds a proposed change would slow on-time delivery, USPS must publish a public report on practices and procedures to keep delivery on time and then wait 180 days before implementing the change. The bill bars USPS from carrying out the Mail Processing Facility Review or successor program and bars federal funds, including Postal Service Fund money, for that review. It also bars closures or movement of operations from processing and distribution centers in districts that missed 93 percent on-time delivery for two-day first-class mail or 90.3 percent for three-to-five-day first-class mail in the prior year. Finally, USPS may not carry out local or regional transportation optimization that decreases pickup or drop-off frequency at any post office, and if the PRC does not recommend such schedule changes, USPS cannot move forward anywhere in the United States.

Who Benefits and How

Residents of non-contiguous state regions benefit because USPS must preserve a processing center when the region has more than 100,000 permanent residents. Mail customers in underperforming districts benefit because closures are barred when first-class mail benchmarks were missed in the prior year. Postal workers at processing centers benefit from procedural protections against consolidation, downgrading, or operations moves. Postal Regulatory Commission oversight staff benefit from mandatory advisory-opinion authority over facility and transportation changes.

Who Bears the Burden and How

USPS network planners lose flexibility to consolidate facilities, carry out the Mail Processing Facility Review, or reduce transportation frequency. The Postal Service must prepare PRC submissions, public reports, on-time delivery mitigation plans, and 180-day delay compliance. Postal Regulatory Commission staff must issue opinions within 120 business days for each proposed processing-center change. Federal postal funds cannot be obligated or expended for the barred Mail Processing Facility Review or successor program.

Key Provisions

• Bars processing-center actions that would leave large non-contiguous regions without a center.
• Requires PRC advisory opinions before USPS mail processing facility changes.
• Provides a 120-business-day PRC opinion deadline and a 180-day delay when slower delivery is found.
• Prohibits the Mail Processing Facility Review and spending on that review or successor programs.
• Limits closures in districts missing two-day and three-to-five-day first-class mail on-time benchmarks.
• Bars local or regional transportation optimization that reduces post office pickup or drop-off frequency without PRC support.