Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act of 2025

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act, bipartisan legislation that I am proud to co-lead with our chairman, Mr. Comer.

This commonsense bill earned unanimous House approval in the 118th Congress, demonstrating our shared commitment to public safety. This legislation addresses a critical safety gap by requiring the U.S. Postal Service to collect, track, and report serious crashes and fatalities involving vehicles transporting the U.S. mail.

After meeting with families of truck crash victims and hearing their painful, heartbreaking stories, we are resolute in our mission to prevent further avoidable tragedies.

The need for this bill was tragically illustrated in June of 2022 when the Godinez family was struck by a truck contracted by the Postal Service with faulty brakes, no insurance, and a driver without a commercial driver's license. Three generations of that family, Mr. Speaker, including 3-month-old Tessleigh, lost their lives in one tragic incident.

However, this wasn't an isolated incident. Between 2020 and 2023, at least 79 people were killed in crashes involving Postal Service- contracted trucks, but the true number may be even higher because, shockingly, the Postal Service was failing to document these incidents. This lack of oversight has allowed alarming safety violations to persist.

Between 2020 and 2022, the Department of Transportation identified 466 Postal Service trucking contractors with high rates of hours-of- service violations. For example, in 2021 and 2022, 39 percent of companies carrying U.S. mail repeatedly violated rules preventing driver exhaustion. One contractor violated these critical driver safety protocols more than 200 times over a 5-year period.

Unfortunately, the Postal Service's original approach to fatality and safety data was ``out of sight, out of mind.''

In May of 2023, I requested the Postal Service inspector general launch an audit of the Postal Service's contract trucking safety. As a result of their review, the Postal Service established an ad hoc reporting system, one that the Postal Service still has failed to share with our offices.

However, the Postal Service still lacks formal written policies for tracking contractor accidents and fatalities, including guidance for terminating contractors or subcontractors who are noncompliant.

Our bill codifies the inspector general's primary recommendation and delivers accountability by requiring detailed reporting of any mail transport crash resulting in serious injury or death, maintenance of a comprehensive database of such reports, and annual public reporting of such findings. Most importantly, it also establishes penalties for contractors who fail to comply with the reporting requirements.

This is a long overdue bill that will save lives.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to have led this effort with Mr. Comer. This is going to save lives. I urge all of my colleagues to support the legislation of H.R. 758, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 758) to direct the United States Postal Service to issue regulations requiring Postal Service employees and contractors to report to the Postal Service traffic crashes involving vehicles carrying mail that result in injury or death, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 758, which requires U.S. Postal Service employees and contractors to report to the Postal Service traffic crashes that result in injury or death.

In 2023, The Wall Street Journal published an article alleging that the Postal Service contracted with low-cost trucking companies that did not follow highway safety regulations.

They also reported that postal contractors have been involved in car crashes that have killed 79 people in the last 3 years.

To conduct oversight of this important topic, Congress needs to be informed.

The Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act requires the Postal Service to report to Congress any traffic crashes that result in injury or death.

Under the bill, Postal Service employees and contractors will have 3 days to report a traffic accident to the Postal Service.

These reports will include, at minimum, the date, time, location, nature of the crash, information identifying the contractor, and number of injuries and fatalities.

The Postal Service will maintain a comprehensive internal digital database of this information. The Postal Service is also required to compile a publicly available report summarizing annual stats related to injuries and deaths from traffic accidents.

I thank Representative Connolly, the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, for working to partner with me on this necessary legislation. I encourage all of my House colleagues to support this national safety legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, the Postal Service is tasked with the challenging job of providing fast, reliable mail service nationwide. While they do so, their safety should be prioritized.

I encourage all my colleagues to support this commonsense bill that increases transparency into the Postal Service's safety record to improve the public safety throughout our Nation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, due to the passing of a cherished member of my family, my elder brother and former Member of Congress, the Honorable Lincoln Diaz-Balart, I was unable to vote the week of March 3, 2025. Had I been present, I would have voted: YEA on H.R. 856--Roll Call No. 54; YEA on H.R. 758--Roll Call No. 55; YEA on Ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 177--Roll Call No. 56; YEA on H.J. RES. 177--Roll Call No. 57; YEA on H.J. RES. 61--Roll Call No. 58; YEA on H.J. RES. 42--Roll Call No. 59; NO on Motion to Table on H. RES. 189--Roll Call No. 60; YEA on S.J. RES. 11--Roll Call No. 61; and YEA on H. RES. 189--Roll Call No. 62.