HR 8015 · 116th Congress 2019–2021, ended

Delivering for America Act

Introduced Aug 11, 2020 Originated House Sponsor Carolyn B. Maloney D-NY

Fact sheet Spreadsheet

Latest action · Sep 8, 2020 Received in the Senate.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

  1. IntroducedAug 11, 2020
  2. Passed HouseAug 22, 2020
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Delivering for America Act

This bill prohibits the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) from making changes to operations or levels of service from those that were in effect on January 1, 2020, establishes requirements for the processing of election mail, and provides additional funding for the Postal Service Fund.

(Sec. 2) Specifically, the USPS may not, during the period beginning on enactment of this bill and ending on the last day of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency or January 31, 2021, whichever is later, implement or approve any change to the operations or the level of service that would reduce service performance or impede prompt, reliable, and efficient services. Such changes include the following:

  • changes in the nature of services that will generally affect service on a nationwide basis;
  • revisions of service standards;
  • closures or consolidations of post offices or facilities or reduction of hours;
  • prohibitions or restrictions on the use of overtime or payment of overtime pay to USPS officers or employees;
  • changes that would prevent the USPS from meeting its service standards or that would reduce measurements of performance concerning those standards;
  • changes that would have the effect of delaying, deferring, or curtailing mail, allowing non-delivery to a delivery route, or increasing the volume of undelivered mail;
  • treating election mail as any class of mail other than first-class mail, regardless of whether this requires overtime pay;
  • any removal or stoppage of mail sorting machines, other than for routine maintenance;
  • removing or eliminating any mail collection box available to the public;
  • enacting any rule, policy, or standard the purpose or effect of which would delay delivery of mail to or from a government entity; and
  • instituting any hiring freeze.

The USPS shall reverse any initiative or action that is causing delay in processing or delivery or non-delivery of mail.

With regard to election mail specifically, the bill (1) establishes USPS policy to postmark, with imprinted indicia of the date of receipt, all processed election mail; and (2) directs the USPS to ensure that election mail is processed and cleared from any postal facility on the same day it is received. The term election mail means voter registration materials, absentee and other mail-in applications and ballots, and other materials mailed by state or local election officials to individuals registered to vote in the election.

(Sec. 3) The bill appropriates $25 billion as an additional payment to the Postal Service Fund, of which $15 million shall be transferred to the USPS Office of Inspector General.

Recorded votes 2

Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.

Roll callQuestionResultDate
House 182Passed257–150Aug 22, 2020
House 181On Motion to Recommit with InstructionsFailed182–223Aug 22, 2020

Yea 182

Nay 223

Not voting 25

Cosponsors 222

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Aug 14, 2020 to Aug 21, 2020.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-CAAlan S. LowenthalAug 14, 2020
D-CAAnna G. EshooAug 14, 2020
D-MAAyanna PressleyAug 14, 2020
D-MSBennie G. ThompsonAug 14, 2020
D-NJBonnie Watson ColemanAug 14, 2020
D-CABrad ShermanAug 14, 2020
R-PABrian K. FitzpatrickAug 14, 2020
D-IACynthia AxneAug 14, 2020
D-VADonald S. Beyer, Jr.Aug 14, 2020
D-DCEleanor Holmes NortonAug 14, 2020
D-TXFilemon VelaAug 14, 2020
D-CAGilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr.Aug 14, 2020
D-NYGregory W. MeeksAug 14, 2020
D-CAJackie SpeierAug 14, 2020
D-MAJames P. McGovernAug 14, 2020
Show all 222 cosponsors

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseOversight and Government Reform Committee
Referred Aug 11, 2020

Actions 15

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Sep 8, 2020Received in the Senate.
  2. Aug 22, 2020Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 1092 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 8015 with 2 hours of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit with or without instructions. Measure will be considered read. Bill is closed to amendments.
  3. Aug 22, 2020Rule H. Res. 1092 passed House.
  4. Aug 22, 2020Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 1092. (consideration: CR H4256-4298)
  5. Aug 22, 2020Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 8015 with 2 hours of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit with or without instructions. Measure will be considered read. Bill is closed to amendments.
Show all 15 actions

In the Congressional Record 4

Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.

WhereIn the RecordMembersDate
ExtensionsDebate and remarks E797, E800Gwen Moore D-WI, Lucille Roybal-Allard D-CAAug 28, 2020
ExtensionsDebate and remarks E792Mike Kelly R-PAAug 25, 2020
HouseDebate and remarks H4253, H4254, H4255, H4256–H4270, H4270–H4299Text printed H4256, H4271Amendments H4268Motions H4296Recorded votes H4269, H4270, H4297, H4298Comer motion to recommit (prioritize pharmaceutical deliveries and establish penalties for Postal Service employees who tamper or interfere with election mail)consideration (H. Res. 1092), previous questionenactLists H4269, H4270, H4297, H4298Votes recorded by proxy on Comer motion to recommit H.R. 8015, Delivering for America ActVotes recorded by proxy on H.R. 8015, Delivering for America ActVotes recorded by proxy on H. Res. 1092, consideration of H.R. 8015, Delivering for America ActVotes recorded by proxy on previous question to H. Res. 1092, consideration of H.R. 8015, Delivering for America ActA. Drew Ferguson IV R-GA, Al Green D-TX, Alma S. Adams D-NC, Andy Biggs R-AZ, Anna G. Eshoo D-CA, Ayanna Pressley D-MA, Barbara Lee D-CA, Bob Gibbs R-OH, Brenda L. Lawrence D-MI, Brian Higgins D-NY, Brian K. Fitzpatrick R-PA, Bruce Westerman R-AR, Carolyn B. Maloney D-NY, Cheri Bustos D-IL, Dan Bishop R-NC, Danny K. Davis D-IL, David N. Cicilline D-RI, Debbie Dingell D-MI, Debbie Lesko R-AZ, Debbie Wasserman Schultz D-FL, Devin Nunes R-CA, Doris O. Matsui D-CA, Eddie Bernice Johnson D-TX, Eleanor Holmes Norton D-DC, Fred Keller R-PA, Gary J. Palmer R-AL, Gerald E. Connolly D-VA, Glenn Grothman R-WI, Greg Pence R-IN, Hakeem S. Jeffries D-NY, James Comer R-KY (motion), James E. Clyburn D-SC, James P. McGovern D-MA, James R. Langevin D-RI, Jerrold Nadler D-NY, Jim Jordan R-OH, Jimmy Gomez D-CA, Jodey C. Arrington R-TX, Jody B. Hice R-GA, Joe Neguse D-CO, John P. Sarbanes D-MD, John R. Curtis R-UT, Judy Chu D-CA, Katherine M. Clark D-MA, Kelly Armstrong R-ND, Kevin McCarthy R-CA, Kweisi Mfume D-MD, Louie Gohmert R-TX, Marcy Kaptur D-OH, Mark Pocan D-WI, Mary Gay Scanlon D-PA, Maxine Waters D-CA, Michael C. Burgess R-TX, Michael Cloud R-TX, Mike Thompson D-CA, Nancy Pelosi D-CA, Pete Stauber R-MN, Peter A. DeFazio D-OR, Raja Krishnamoorthi D-IL, Ralph Norman R-SC, Rashida Tlaib D-MI, Richard E. Neal D-MA, Rob Woodall R-GA (amendment), Robert E. Latta R-OH, Robin L. Kelly D-IL, Rodney Davis R-IL, Roger Williams R-TX, Rosa L. DeLauro D-CT, Sheila Jackson Lee D-TX, Stacey E. Plaskett D-VI, Steny H. Hoyer D-MD, Stephen F. Lynch D-MA, Steve Chabot R-OH, Steve Cohen D-TN, Steve Scalise R-LA, Steve Womack R-AR, Sylvia R. Garcia D-TX, Thomas Massie R-KY, Tim Walberg R-MI, Tom Cole R-OK, Virginia Foxx R-NC, William R. Keating D-MA, Zoe Lofgren D-CAAug 22, 2020
HouseDeclaratory Statements H4252—Aug 21, 2020

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Congressional Budget Office cost estimate

  1. Aug 21, 2020H.R. 8015, Delivering for America ActCBO’s Estimate of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Effects of H.R. 8015, as Posted on the House Rules Committee Website on August 19, 2020

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article I, Section I, Clause 18 (Necessary and Proper Clause)

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 166, no. 143, August 11, 2020, page H4232.

Printed hearings 1

Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.

NumberHearingCommitteeHeld
Serial No. 116-113PROTECTING THE TIMELY DELIVERY OF MAIL, MEDICINE, AND MAIL-IN BALLOTS103 pagesOversight and Government Reform CommitteeAug 24, 2020

Amendments 1

Amendments offered to this bill.

AmendmentDescriptionOffered byStatus
HAmdt 874Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 1092, the amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 116-61 is considered adopted.Rules CommitteeOn agreeing to the Rules amendment (A001) Agreed to without objection.

Related bills 4

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
HRES 1092Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 8015) to maintain prompt and reliable postal services during the COVID-19 health emergency, and for other purposes.Procedurally relatedAug 22, 2020
S 4527Delivering for America ActRelated billAug 13, 2020
S 4585Delivering for America ActRelated billSep 16, 2020
HR 8607U.S. Postal Service Accountability and Voting Rights ActRelated billOct 16, 2020

Titles 3

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced
To maintain prompt and reliable postal services during the COVID-19 health emergency, and for other purposes.
Short Title(s) as Introduced
Delivering for America Act
Short Title(s) as Passed House
Delivering for America Act

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.

Text 3

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Sep 8, 2020Received in Senate
  2. Aug 22, 2020Engrossed in House
  3. Aug 11, 2020Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.