Ninth District Congressman announced today that he is co-sponsoring legislation to give communities more input into relocation decisions of post offices.

"After hearing about the problems that the Dupont community is having with their post office relocation, I looked into legislative solutions," explained Smith. "This bill would require the Post Office to take communities into account when moving their facilities."

HR 1231, the Post Office Relocation Act, would:
require that before the Postal Service make major changes to a post office, it consider the effect on the community and whether the community served by the post office opposes the decision;
require a sixty-day notice before the relocation of a post office, to be delivered by mail and published in local newspapers;
allow any person served by the post office to offer an alternative relocation site;
require the Postal Service to conduct a hearing to allow public testimony on alternative sites;
require the Postal Service to follow a community's public participation procedures and zoning and land use regulations.

"Post offices are an important part of a community," said Smith. "This legislation would ensure that the community has input into the decision-making of the Postal Service. Under current law, the Post Office can ignore local zoning laws and relocate without adequate community involvement."

Just a few weeks ago, Smith met with city officials in Dupont. The Post Office is in the process of relocating and has chosen a site not fully supported by the community.

"My understanding is that the citizens of Dupont would like the Post Office in the downtown district, but the Postal Service is insisting on a site in a residential neighborhood," Smith explained. "The Postal Service had concerns about contamination at the downtown site, but the latest reports show that the cleanup will be completed in about two years. The Dupont community would prefer to wait for that site to be ready, but the Postal Service is ignoring their needs and pushing for the residential neighborhood site."

The bipartisan legislation has 49 sponsors and has not yet had a hearing or vote in committee. However, Smith is still hopeful that the bill will pass into law. "This is an issue that isn't going away," he said. "I will be working with my colleagues to urge House leadership to schedule this bill for a vote."