Bill · H.R. 5416· House(119-HR-5416)
Contract Postal Unit Transparency Act
- Introduced
- 9/16/2025
- Last activity
- 9/16/2025 — Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
- Sponsored by
- George Whitesides
- Cosponsors
- - 2 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "Contract Postal Unit Transparency Act," seeks to change how the United States Postal Service handles closing or merging contract postal units. It requires the Postal Service to publish a report on how these changes affect customers and what will be done to keep services accessible. Additionally, the Postal Service must provide Congress with the reasons behind these decisions. The act also mandates a public hearing for those affected by these changes. Finally, it requires the publication of a hearing summary and sets a waiting period before any closure or consolidation can occur.
Yes
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+7
The bill mandates the publication of impact reports and public hearing summaries on the Postal Service's website.
Would people in rural areas be better off under this?+4
The 180-day waiting period and required impact reports provide better protection for rural communities that rely on local postal units.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+3
The transparency requirements may help protect low-income households from sudden loss of local postal service access.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Increased Transparency and Information: The Postal Service must publish a report on the expected impacts of closures or consolidations on customers and outline steps to ensure continued access to services (Section 2, paragraph 1A).
-
Congressional Oversight: The Postal Service is required to submit a report to Congress explaining the specific reasons for closing or consolidating a contract postal unit (Section 2, paragraph 1B).
-
Public Voice and Participation: The bill requires a public hearing that members of the community can attend in-person or virtually to voice their concerns (Section 2, paragraph 1C).
-
Public Record of Community Sentiment: The Postal Service must publish a summary of the public hearing that includes descriptions of comments and the percentage of comments that were in support or against the action (Section 2, paragraph 1D).
-
Protections Against Immediate Closures: A contract postal unit cannot be closed or consolidated until at least 180 days after the publication of the hearing summary (Section 2, paragraph 2).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No specific negative impacts are explicitly detailed in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Rural Residents+4Good For Low Income Households+3
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+7
- 9/16/2025
- Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
- 3 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
Rick AllenRepublican · Georgia
Frank MrvanDemocrat · Indiana
Andrea SalinasDemocrat · Oregon