Sec. 2. Postal service operation and level of service changes temporarily prohibited
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/bill/116/hr/8607/ih/section-2A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
During the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending on January 31, 2021, the United States Postal Service may not implement or approve any change to the operations or the level of service provided by the Postal Service from those in effect on January 1, 2020, that would reduce service performance or impede prompt, reliable, and efficient services, including any of the following actions: Any change in the nature of postal services which will generally affect service on a nationwide or substantially nationwide basis.
Any revision of service standards. Any closure or consolidation of any post office or postal facility, or any reduction of such office or facility hours. Any prohibition or restriction on the use of overtime or overtime pay to Postal Service officers or employees. Any change that would prevent the Postal Service from meeting its service standards or cause a decline in measurements of performance relative to those service standards. Any change that would have the effect of delaying deferring, or curtailing mail, allowing for the non-delivery of mail to a delivery route, or increasing the volume of undelivered mail.
Treating election mail as any class of mail other than first-class mail, regardless of whether such treatment requires payment of overtime pay to officers or employees of the Postal Service. Removing, decommissioning, or any other stoppage of mail sorting machines, other than for routine maintenance. Removing or eliminating any mail collection box that is available to the public. Enacting any rule, policy, or standard the purpose or effect of which would delay the delivery of mail to or from a government entity.
Instituting any hiring freeze. Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Postal Service shall reverse any initiative or action that was implemented during the period beginning on January 1, 2020, and ending on the date of the enactment of this Act and is causing delay in processing or delivery or non-delivery of the mail. In this section: The term election mail means mail consisting of— voter registration application forms, completed voter registration application forms, and voter registration cards or similar materials; absentee and other mail-in ballot application forms, blank absentee and other mail-in ballots, and completed absentee and other mail-in ballots; and other materials relating to an election which are mailed by a State or local election official to individuals who are registered to vote in the election.
The term government entity means the Federal Government or any State (as that term is defined in section 311 of title 5, United States Code) or local government and any subdivision thereof. There is authorized to be appropriated to the Postal Service Fund (established under section 2003 of title 39, United States Code) $1,000,000,000 for fiscal years 2020 and 2021 to carry out this section.