Prompt and reliable postal services during COVID-19 pandemic

(a)

In general

During the period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act and ending on the last day of the COVID-19 public health emergency or January 31, 2021, whichever is later, 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: (1)Any change in the nature of postal services which will generally affect service on a nationwide or substantially nationwide basis. (2)Any revision of service standards. (3)Any closure or consolidation of any post office or postal facility, or any reduction of such office or facility hours. (4)Any prohibition or restriction on the use of overtime or overtime pay to Postal Service officers or employees. (5)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. (6)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. (7)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. (8)Removing, decommissioning, or any other stoppage of mail sorting machines, other than for routine maintenance. (9)Removing or eliminating any mail collection box that is available to the public. (10)Enacting any rule, policy, or standard the purpose or effect of which would delay the delivery of mail to or from a government entity. (11)Instituting any hiring freeze. (b)

Reversal of policies hindering delivery of mail

The United States Postal Service shall reverse any initiative or action that is causing delay in processing or delivery or non-delivery of the mail. (c)

Election mail

(1)

Policy on postmarks

It shall be the policy of the United States Postal Service to postmark, which shall include any imprinted indicia from the Postal Service that indicates the date of receipt, all election mail processed by the Postal Service. (2)

Same-day processing

The United States Postal Service shall ensure, to the maximum extent practical, that election mail is processed and cleared from any postal facility or post office on the same day it is received at such a facility or post office. (d)

Private right of action

A person who is harmed by a violation of this Act may bring a civil action against the Postal Service in an appropriate district court for injunctive and declaratory relief with respect to the violation. (e)

Definitions

In this section— (1)the term COVID–19 public health emergency means the public health emergency declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services on January 27, 2020, with respect to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus; (2)the term election mail means mail consisting of— (A)voter registration application forms, completed voter registration application forms, and voter registration cards or similar materials; (B)absentee and other mail-in ballot application forms, blank absentee and other mail-in ballots, and completed absentee and other mail-in ballots; and (C)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; and (3)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.