On November 29, 2023, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Republican Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure USPS police officers have the authority to protect postal personnel, postal property and the U.S. mail, whether on or off postal real estate. The bill was introduced with ten orginal cosponsors. The Postal Police Reform Act is similar to legislation introduced by Reps. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) and William Pascrell (D-NJ) earlier this year (H.R. 3005). The Senate bill, like its House counterpart, strives to clarify the law enforcement authority of postal police in light of the Postal Service's 2020 policy change that restricted the law officers to postal real estate. Concurent with the revised USPS policy, postal-related crime significantly increased. Durbin chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over the bill. NAPS strongly supports the measure and urges Congress to pass it. Sen. Durbin's press release announcing introduction of the bill. In addition to the Police Police Officers Association, with whom NAPS has been closely working on the issue, the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) has strongly endorsed the Senate legislation. NAPO issued a strongly worded endorsement that can be viewed here.
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