HR 170 — USPS Subpoena Authority Act

Summary

Expands the Postmaster General's authority to issue subpoenas in investigations of mail-related crimes, mail fraud, and drug offenses involving the mails.
Allows subpoenas to require production of records and testimony from record custodians related to the investigation.
Exempts certain types of investigations from testimony requirements in subpoenas.
Limits delegation of subpoena approval authority to the Postal Service's General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, or Chief Postal Inspector.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)

Rep. Malliotakis, Nicole (R-NY) [#11]

3 cosponsors

Money behind the sponsor

Top reported contributors to Nicole Malliotakis’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.

WCAS $20,400
BLACKSTONE $13,200
APOLLO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT $11,117
GRUSS & CO LLC $10,971
CADDELL DRY DOCK $10,300

Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Nicole Malliotakis → · Outside spending →

Actions (2)

Jan 3, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. · house
Jan 3, 2025 Introduced in House

More bills on these subjects (8)

Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

Text versions (1)

Introduced in House · Jan 3, 2025

Only one text version is on file, so there’s no earlier version to compare against yet.

Full text

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 3, 2025

Ms. Malliotakis (for herself, Ms. Meng, and Mr. Smith of New Jersey) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

A BILL

To amend title 39, United States Code, to enhance the administrative subpoena authority of the United States Postal Service, and for other purposes.

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 “USPS Subpoena Authority Act”.

SEC. 2. UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE ADMINISTRATIVE SUBPOENA AUTHORITY.

Section 3016(a)(1) of title 39, United States Code, is amended—

(1) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (D);

(2) by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting the following:

“(A) In general.—In any investigation relating to a covered offense, the Postmaster General may issue in writing and cause to be served a subpoena requiring the production and testimony described in subparagraph (B). In this subparagraph, the term ‘covered offense’ means a violation of—

“(i) any section in this chapter;

“(ii) any section of chapter 83 of title 18 insofar as such violation involves the use of the mails;

“(iii) any other provision of law enumerated in section 3001(a); or

“(iv) the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.), insofar as such violation involves the use of the mails.

“(B) Production and testimony.—Except as provided in subparagraph (C), a subpoena issued under subparagraph (A) may require—

“(i) the production of any records (including books, papers, documents, and other tangible things that constitute or contain evidence) that the Postmaster General considers relevant or material to such investigation; and

“(ii) testimony by the custodian of the things required to be produced concerning the production and authenticity of those things.

“(C) Application.—A subpoena issued in connection with an investigation under section 3005(a) shall not require testimony as set forth in subparagraph

(B)(ii).”; and

(3) in subparagraph (D), as redesignated by paragraph (1) of this section, by amending clause (iii) to read as follows:

“(iii) delegation of subpoena approval authority be limited to the Postal Service’s General Counsel, a Deputy General Counsel, or the Chief Postal Inspector.”. <all>

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