On July 9, 2015, Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) introduced (S.1742), The Rural Postal Act of 2015. This bill is intended to improve both rural mail service and the morale of rural postal workers. Following her “Fix My Mail” initiative—wherein Heitkamp examined the postal concerns of rural North Dakotans—Heitkamp has introduced a bill that proposes to restore strong mail delivery standards for mail service in rural areas.
Key issues addressed in the bill include:
• A one-year moratorium on discontinuance of rural post offices.
• A two-year moratorium on reduction of hours of rural post offices.
• A two-year moratorium on closing or consolidating postal facilities where the primary function is to sort and process mail.
• Creation of a Rural Postal Advisory Commission focusing on the needs of rural communities.
• A pilot program for implementing wi-fi in rural post offices.
Senator Heitkamp’s co-sponsors are Senators Jon Tester (D-MT), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), and Gary Peters (D-MI).
For a one page summary of The Rural Postal Act of 2015 click here