U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, joined a pair of Idaho Republicans on Wednesday in introducing new legislation to help maintain and improve access to local United States Postal Service offices.

What You Need To Know

  • The Mandating Advisable and Informed Locations and Solutions Act, introduced by Schatz and Sens. Mike Crapo and James Risch, both R-Idaho, would require more community input before a post office is relocated 
  • In the past year, post office closures in Puunene, Maui, and Kealia, Kauai, have also drawn concern from their surrounding communities who say the lack of ready access has caused hardships for residents
  • Under the proposed act, USPS would have 90 days from the date of enactment to establish a formal process for local government officials to request a new post office within their locality

The Mandating Advisable and Informed Locations and Solutions Act, introduced by Schatz and Sens. Mike Crapo and James Risch, both R-Idaho, would require more community input before a post office is relocated and would encourage municipalities to request additional post offices when needed.

“In Hawaii, where many people live in rural or remote areas, the Postal Service is a lifeline for everything from essential goods to staying connected with loved ones,” Schatz said. “Our bill ensures that people in Hawaii and across the country have a voice in decisions about keeping post offices in their communities.”

A lack of post offices has been a long-standing concern in Idaho, where Risch said many communities lack access to post offices or have waited years for one to be built.

In the past year, post office closures in Puunene, Maui, and Kealia, Kauai, have also drawn concern from their surrounding communities who say the lack of ready access has caused hardships for residents.

Under the proposed act, USPS would have 90 days from the date of enactment to establish a formal process for local government officials to request a new post office within their locality. The act would also require to USPS to notify local officials and solicit public input before implementing a temporary relocation for a period longer than two days.

The act would further require the preparation and submission of a report for any temporary relocation lasting longer than 180 days that would include confirmation that the communications requirements were met (or reasons they were not met) and whether and why the length of relocation will be extended.

Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson, R-Idaho.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.