MAIL TRAFFIC DEATHS REPORTING ACT OF 2025

On 2025-03-03, Representative James Comer (R-KY-1) delivered a floor speech titled "MAIL TRAFFIC DEATHS REPORTING ACT OF 2025" in the House. The speech addressed the environment and also covered trade policy, infrastructure. It referenced legislation: HR758.

MAIL TRAFFIC DEATHS REPORTING ACT OF 2025

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 40 (Monday, March 3, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 40 (Monday, March 3, 2025)] [House] [Pages H933-H935] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] MAIL TRAFFIC DEATHS REPORTING ACT OF 2025 Mr. COMER. 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. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 758 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 ``Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act of 2025''. SEC. 2. REGULATIONS ON TRAFFIC CRASH DEATHS AND INJURIES INVOLVING VEHICLES TRANSPORTING MAIL. (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the [[Page H934]] Postmaster General of the Postal Service shall issue regulations to require the collection, tracking, and public reporting of information related to deaths and injuries resulting from traffic crashes involving vehicles transporting mail. Such regulations shall establish appropriate mechanisms to monitor and enforce compliance with the reporting requirements of this Act and may utilize existing reporting mechanisms in use at the time of enactment of this Act. (b) Reports on Crashes.-- (1) Employees.--Any employee of the Postal Service engaged in the transportation of mail shall report to the Postal Service any traffic crash involving the vehicle the employee was operating during such transportation that resulted in injury or death not later than three days after such crash. (2) Contractors.--Any contractor (of any tier) of the Postal Service engaged in the transportation of mail shall report to the Postal Service any traffic crash involving the vehicle the contractor was operating during such transportation that resulted in injury or death not later than three days after such crash. (3) Contents.--Any report submitted under paragraph (1) or (2) shall include detailed information describing, at a minimum, the crash, including the date, time, location, nature of the crash, information identifying the contractor, number of injuries, fatalities, and any contributing factors to the crash. An employee or contractor (as the case may be) shall update the report, in such form and manner as the Postal Service deems appropriate, to reflect any change in crash-caused injuries or fatalities. (4) Accommodations in event of injury.--The Postal Service shall provide for procedures under which reports may be submitted under this subsection under an alternative deadline in the event a Postal Service employee or contractor is unable to submit a report due to serious injury resulting from the applicable crash. (5) Standard form.--The Postmaster General shall create a standard form available to Postal Service employees and contractors for the purposes of submitting reports under this subsection. (c) Database.-- (1) In general.--The Postal Service shall maintain a continuously updated internal digital database that includes comprehensive information related to deaths and injuries from traffic crashes involving vehicles transporting mail. (2) Contents.--The database shall include any information provided by Postal Service employees and contractors under subsection (b). (d) Report.-- (1) In general.--The Postal Service shall make available to the public an annual report summarizing information related to deaths and injuries from traffic crashes involving vehicles transporting mail. (2) Contents.--The report shall include aggregated statistics, trends, and analysis to enhance transparency and accountability. (3) Privacy.--Information in the report shall be made available to the public in a manner that does not personally identify any Postal Service employee, contractor, or any other individual. (e) Penalties.--Any Postal Service contractor who fails to report a traffic crash within the deadline prescribed under subsection (b) shall be subject to appropriate penalties as determined appropriate by the Postal Service, including fines, suspension of contracts, or termination of contracts. The Postal Service may take into account the severity of the applicable traffic crash and the frequency of noncompliance with the requirements of this Act by the applicable Postal Service contractor when determining which penalty to apply (if any). (f) Crash Defined.--In this Act, the term ``crash''-- (1) means an occurrence involving a commercial motor vehicle operating on a highway in interstate or intrastate commerce which results in-- (A) a fatality; (B) bodily injury to a person who, as a result of the injury, immediately receives medical treatment away from the scene of the accident; or (C) one or more motor vehicles incurring disabling damage as a result of the accident, requiring at least one of the motor vehicle to be transported away from the scene by a tow truck or other motor vehicle; and (2) does not include-- (A) an occurrence involving only boarding and alighting from a stationary motor vehicle; or (B) an occurrence involving only the loading or unloading of cargo. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky. General Leave Mr. COMER. 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. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Kentucky? There was no objection. Mr. COMER. 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. {time} 1615 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. CONNOLLY. 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. [[Page H935]] Our bi

Referenced legislation: HR758, HR758