Postal Alert and Weather Preparedness Act

Hillary J. Scholten

Democrat · MI · Representative

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

No cosponsors on record. Bills can pass without cosponsors — this often means the sponsor introduced the bill alone, either because it's a messaging bill, a chairman's mark, or simply early in the legislative cycle.

Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

2026-04-23

Source: Congress.gov

The proposal would require the U.S. Postal Service to develop and implement plans for alerting the public about severe weather events and other emergencies, similar to how weather services currently warn communities about dangerous conditions. This would affect mail carriers and postal workers who operate in hazardous conditions, as well as the general public who might receive timely warnings about threats in their areas. The bill aims to improve coordination between the Postal Service and emergency management agencies to better protect both postal employees and the communities they serve.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 8491 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8491 To direct the United States Postal Service to conduct a study on the feasibility of carrying out a program to provide electronic notifications to Postal Service customers regarding weather and mail delivery, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 23, 2026 Ms. Scholten introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To direct the United States Postal Service to conduct a study on the feasibility of carrying out a program to provide electronic notifications to Postal Service customers regarding weather and mail delivery, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Postal Alert and Weather Preparedness Act''. SEC. 2. FEASIBILITY STUDY ON PROGRAM TO SEND ELECTRONIC NOTIFICATIONS REGARDING WEATHER AND MAIL DELIVERY TO POSTAL SERVICE CUSTOMERS. (a) Study and Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Postmaster General shall-- (1) conduct a study to evaluate the feasibility of carrying out a program, using the United States Postal Service's informed delivery platform, under which the Postal Service may send electronic notifications to Postal Service customers regarding weather and mail delivery, including notifications-- (A) with respect to a delay in the delivery of mail as a result of inclement weather or natural disasters; (B) that post offices and other Postal Service locations may be closed or operating with limited hours and staffing as a result of inclement weather or natural disasters; and (C) that property owners and renters should clear walkways to their doors and mailboxes for mail carriers in the event of the accumulation of snow, sleet, ice, or debris; and (2) submit a report on such study to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate. (b) Requirements.--In the study under subsection (a), the Postmaster General shall evaluate the following with respect to carrying out the program: (1) Methods of how the Postal Service would expand the ability of Postal Service customers to be enrolled in the informed delivery platform. (2) How electronic messages will be sent under the program, the criteria for sending messages and appropriate content of messages, and who will receive the message. (c) Contact Information.--For purposes of subsection (b)(1)(B), the term ``contact information'' shall only include the name, mailing address, email address, or phone number of any Postal Service Customer. (d) Program.--On or after the date the report is submitted to Congress under subsection (a)(2), the Postal Service may carry out the program described in such study. (e) Application.--The Postal Service may carry out this Act notwithstanding section 552a of title 5, United States Code, (commonly known as the ``Privacy Act of 1974''). <all>

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