Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act of 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7527), 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, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 7527

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 2024''. 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 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.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7527, which requires U.S. Postal Service employees and contractors to report traffic crashes that result in injury or death to the Postal Service.

Last year, 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. 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 and House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer for bringing this necessary legislation to the consideration of the House.

Mr. Speaker, the Postal Service is tasked with the challenging job of providing fast, reliable mail service nationwide. While they do so, their safety should be prioritized.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this commonsense bill that increases transparency into the Postal Service's safety record to improve public safety throughout our Nation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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