Rural Post Office Reconstruction Act of 2023

“417. Reconstruction and restoration of suspended post offices

“(a) Definitions—In this section—

“(1) the term damaged rural post office means a rural post office—

“(A) that becomes inoperable or suffers irreparable damage on or after the date that is 2 years before the date of enactment of this section; and

“(B) for which no alternate suitable quarters exist in the community;

“(2) the term rural post office means a post office located in an area not included within an urban area (as defined by the Bureau of the Census); and

“(3) the term suspended rural post office means a rural post office that suspends operation due to a lease or rental agreement termination on or after the date that is 2 years before the date of enactment of this section.

“(b) Reconstruction

“(1) In general—The Postal Service shall commence reconstruction of a damaged rural post office, which shall be carried out in consultation with the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency if the damage is due to a natural disaster—

“(A) if the damaged rural post office becomes inoperable or suffers irreparable damage on or after the date of enactment of this section, not later than 90 days after the date of such inoperability or irreparable damage; and

“(B) if the damaged rural post office became inoperable or suffered irreparable damage not more than 2 years before the date of enactment of this section, not later than 90 days after the date of such enactment.

“(2) Exception—The Postal Service shall delay reconstruction of a damaged rural post office under paragraph (1) if individuals directly involved with the reconstruction will be subject to physical injury or undue risk due to the reconstruction efforts until such time as it would be safe for those individuals to proceed with the reconstruction.

“(c) Restoration of suspended operation—The Postal Service, in consultation with the Administrator of General Services, shall secure a suitable replacement lease or rental agreement for a suspended rural post office—

“(1) if the suspended rural post office suspends operation on or after the date of enactment of this section, not later than 90 days after the date of suspension of operation; and

“(2) if the suspended rural post office suspended operation not more than 2 years before the date of enactment of this section, not later than 90 days after the date of such enactment.

“(d) Report required—If the Postal Service does not execute the measures described in subsection (b) or (c) within the time period required under the applicable subsection, the Postmaster General shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability of the House of Representatives a report that—

“(1) describes in detail the specific reasons why reconstruction of the damaged rural post office or restoration of operation of the suspended rural post office was not performed;

“(2) describes in detail any remediation efforts for individuals adversely affected by the suspension of mail operations; and

“(3) provides a specific timeline for completion of the reconstruction or restoration of operations, as applicable.”