S. 3532Senate115th Congress (2017-2019)Introduced

A bill to authorize the United States Postal Service to provide certain nonpostal property, products, and services on behalf of State, local, and tribal governments.

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 16, 2026 at 12:00 AM UTC

The bill creates a new program that lets the United States Postal Service (USPS) work with state, local, and tribal governments to provide non‑mail products, property, or services. The USPS can earn revenue from these activities as long as they add public value, do not hurt regular mail operations, and are fully reimbursed. The program would be overseen by the Postal Service’s Board of Governors and the Postal Regulatory Commission, and it adds a new Chapter 37 to the postal code.

Key Provisions

Adds Chapter 37 to Title 39, authorizing the USPS to enter agreements with state, local, or tribal agencies to provide non‑postal goods or services.
Agreements must improve public value (lower cost, higher quality, or better access), not interfere with mail service, and be reimbursed for at least 100 % of the USPS’s attributable costs.
Before starting any agreement, the USPS must post the contract and a business plan online at least 90 days in advance, and allow a minimum 30‑day public comment period with responses posted before service begins.
A majority of the USPS Board of Governors must approve each agreement, and the Postal Regulatory Commission must classify the offered product or service as market‑dominant, competitive, or experimental.
The USPS must submit detailed cost, revenue, and quality reports for each agreement to the Postal Regulatory Commission before implementation.
The bill requires the USPS and the Postal Regulatory Commission to issue any needed regulations to carry out the program.
Technical updates: adds Chapter 37 to the table of chapters and amends Section 404(e) of Title 39 to reference the new authority.

Legislative Activity

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2 earlier actions

SenateCalendars Latest Action

Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 622.

October 4, 2018

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

September 28, 2018

SenateCalendars

Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.

September 28, 2018

SenateCalendars

Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 622.

October 4, 2018

Floor Debate

2 members

What members said about S. 3532 on the floor

2 Republicans

Sen. Rob PortmanR-OH · Oct 4, 2018

Mr. President, I understand, there is a bill at the desk that is due for a second reading. Mr. President, in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to…

Sen. Mitch McConnellR-KY · Sep 28, 2018

Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk, and I ask for its first reading. I now ask for a second reading and, in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule…

Bill Text

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Placed on Calendar SenateIssued October 4, 2018

Calendar No. 622

115th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. 3532

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

September 28, 2018

Mr. Hatch introduced the following bill; which was read the first time

October 4, 2018

Read the second time and placed on the calendar

A BILL

To authorize the United States Postal Service to provide certain nonpostal property, products, and services on behalf of State, local, and tribal governments.

Postal Service program for State, local, and tribal governments

(a)

Postal Service program for State, local, and tribal governments

(1)

In general

Part IV of title 39, United States Code, is amended by adding after chapter 36 the following:

Postal Service program for State, local, and tribal governments

Sec.

3701. Purpose.

3702. Definitions.

3703. Postal Service program for State, local, and tribal governments.

3701.

Purpose

The purpose of this chapter is to enable the Postal Service to increase its net revenues through providing specific nonpostal property, products, and services that are expressly authorized by this chapter. Postal Service revenues and expenses under this chapter shall be funded through the Postal Service Fund.

3702.

Definitions

In this chapter—

(1)

the term costs attributable has the meaning given such term in section 3631; and

(2)

the term year means a fiscal year.

3703.

Postal Service program for State, local, and tribal governments

(a)

In general

Subject to subsection (d), and notwithstanding any other provision of this title, the Postal Service may establish a program under which the Postal Service may enter into an agreement with an agency of a State government, local government, or tribal government to provide property, products, or services on behalf of the agency, if providing the property, products, or services—

(1)

provides enhanced value to the public, such as by lowering the cost or raising the quality of the property, products, or services or by making the property, products, or services more accessible;

(2)

does not interfere with or detract from the value of postal services, including—

(A)

with respect to the cost and efficiency of postal services; and

(B)

that providing the property, products, or services will not unreasonably restrict access to postal retail service, such as through increased customer waiting time or reduced access to parking; and

(3)

will provide a reasonable contribution to the institutional costs of the Postal Service, which shall include reimbursement that covers not less than 100 percent of the costs attributable to providing the property, products, and services under the agreement in each year.

(b)

Public notice

Not later than 90 days before beginning to provide property, products, or services under an agreement described in subsection (a), the Postal Service shall make available to the public on the website of the Postal Service—

(1)

the agreement with the agency regarding providing the property, products, or services; and

(2)

a business plan that describes—

(A)

the specific property, products, and services to be provided;

(B)

the enhanced value to the public;

(C)

the terms of reimbursement;

(D)

the estimated annual reimbursement to the Postal Service; and

(E)

the estimated percentage of the costs attributable to providing the property, products, and services that will be covered by reimbursement (with documentation to support the estimates).

(c)

Public comment

(1)

In general

Before beginning to provide property, products, or services under an agreement described in subsection (a), the Postal Service shall provide for a public comment period of not less than 30 days, during which the public may post comments relating to the provision of the property, products, or services on the website of the Postal Service.

(2)

Response

The Postal Service shall make reasonable efforts to provide written responses to the comments described in paragraph (1) on the website of the Postal Service not later than 30 days before beginning to provide the property, products, or services.

(d)

Approval required

The Postal Service may not enter into an agreement under subsection (a) unless a majority of the Board of Governors of the Postal Service approve, by a recorded vote that is publicly disclosed on the website of the Postal Service—

(1)

the agreement; or

(2)

an agreement under subsection (a) with another agency of a State government, local government, or tribal government to provide property, products, or services on behalf of the agency under the same or similar terms and conditions.

(e)

Designation

The Postal Regulatory Commission shall designate whether property, products, or services provided under an agreement described in subsection (a) shall be regulated under this title as a market dominant product, a competitive product, or an experimental product.

(f)

Reporting requirements

Before beginning to provide property, products, or services under an agreement described in subsection (a), the Postal Service shall submit to the Postal Regulatory Commission a separate report for each agreement entered into under subsection (a), analyzing the costs, revenues, rates, and quality of the property, products, and services provided under the agreement, including information demonstrating that the agreement satisfies the requirements of paragraphs (1) through (3) of subsection (a).

(g)

Regulations required

(1)

In general

The Postal Service shall issue such regulations as are necessary to carry out subsections (a) through (d) of this section.

(2)

PRC

The Postal Regulatory Commission shall issue such regulations as are necessary to carry out subsections (e) and (f) of this section.

(h)

Confidential information

Subsections (b) and (c) shall not be construed as requiring the Postal Service to disclose to the public any information that is—

(1)

described in section 410(c); or

(2)

exempt from public disclosure under section 552(b) of title 5.

(i)

Definitions

For the purpose of this section—

(1)

the term local government means a county, municipality, city, town, township, local public authority, school district, special district, intrastate district, council of governments, or regional or interstate government entity;

(2)

the term State government includes each of the several States, the government of the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any other territory or possession of the United States; and

(3)

the term tribal government means the government of an Indian tribe, as that term is defined in section 4(e) of the Indian Self-Determination Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(e)).

(b)

Technical and conforming amendments

(1)

The table of chapters for part IV of title 39, United States Code, is amended by adding after the item relating to chapter 36 the following:

37.Postal Service program for State, local, and tribal governments3701

(2)

Section 404(e) of title 39, United States Code, is amended—

(A)

in paragraph (2), by inserting after subsection, the following: or any property, products, or services authorized to be provided under chapter 37,; and

(B)

by adding at the end the following:

(6)

Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the Postal Service from providing property, products, or services that are expressly authorized by chapter 37.

October 4, 2018

Read the second time and placed on the calendar