Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jul 23, 2015
Postal Innovation Act
This bill expands the powers of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) by allowing it to offer nonpostal services, including financial services, warehousing, public Internet access, experimental postal products market testing, shipment of beer, wine, and spirits, and community support services. The bill also authorizes USPS to: (1) furnish property and services to states, local governments, and tribal governments; and (2) conduct a pilot program to assess the most cost-effective implementation of providing nonpostal services to communities through public-private partnerships at post offices in five cities, including at least one post office in a rural area and one in an urban area.
The bill authorizes USPS to enter into contracts to upgrade its fleet of vehicles to increase long-term savings by reducing collision, maintenance, fuel, or other costs. USPS is required to develop fuel economy guidelines for its vehicles and to reduce the petroleum consumption of its vehicles by not less than 2% annually through the end of FY2025.
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USPS may use cost savings from offering nonpostal services to reinvest in innovation, research and development, and operations. USPS must use commercially available crash avoidance technologies to improve the safety of its vehicle fleet.
The bill requires the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on USPS providing access to public broadband Internet service and Internet voting.
Source last updated: Aug 12, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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