Peters Introduces Bill Supporting Rural Mail Delivery Service

Legislation Issues Two-Year Moratorium on Mail Processing Facility Closures, Ensures Permanent Six-Day Delivery

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) today joined his colleagues in introducing legislation to improve rural mail service and delivery and provide protections for post offices and postal employees in rural communities across the country. The Rural Postal Act of 2015 would place a two-year moratorium on postal mail processing facility closures, restore delivery standards and preserve six-day mail home delivery. This would protect three mail processing facilities in Lansing, Kalamazoo, and Iron Mountain, which service surrounding rural areas and are currently in jeopardy of closing.

“People across Michigan and the nation rely on the Postal Service to provide timely home delivery, from elderly Americans who depend on social security checks and prescription drugs to small businesses that need time-sensitive documents,” said Senator Peters. “I’m proud to support this effort to protect the six-day delivery schedule and prevent the closure of rural postal facilities so that every community in Michigan has access to reliable postal services.”

Rural areas have been disproportionately impacted by cuts to mail service and delivery. Over the past few years, communities in rural America have faced excessive closures of post offices and mail processing facilities, increased delivery times, reduced service standards, and a distressed Postal Service workforce. Nationwide, only about 63 percent of non-local mail arrived on time within three to five days last quarter, which is more than 30 percent below the Postal Service’s own annual goal. From 2001 to 2013, nearly 400 post offices closed across the country, hurting mail service, particularly in rural communities.

This legislation, which Senator Peters introduced with Senators Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Claire McCaskill (D-MO), would tackle rural postal concerns and make meaningful changes to better protect rural communities by:

• Improving Mail Service Standards – The bill would make sure mail reaches its destination faster by restoring stronger service standards, and place a two-year moratorium on the closure of additional mail processing plants.
   
• Meeting the Needs of Rural Postal Customers – The bill would permanently preserve six-day mail delivery, instead of being added annually in appropriations legislation as it has in recent years.
   
• Protecting Rural Post Offices – The bill would protect rural post offices from closures, require specific procedures for reducing operating hours at rural post offices, and enable communities to formally petition the Postal Service to undo closures or reductions in hours.
   
• Improve Postal Employee Morale – The bill would establish a Chief Morale Officer within the Postal Service to oversee working conditions, staffing, communication, and training efforts.

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