This bill makes it easier for U.S. Customs and Border Protection to track and inspect international mail coming into the country. Right now, the Postal Service can sometimes skip sending detailed information about packages before they arrive, and certain countries can get waivers from this requirement. The new law eliminates these exceptions, meaning the Postal Service must send advance information about every single international mail shipment to customs officials, or that shipment won't be allowed into the country. Starting January 1, 2024, this becomes mandatory—no exceptions. The Postal Service also has to start publishing monthly reports showing how many international packages they received and how many of those had the required advance information sent to customs. This is designed to give customs officials better visibility into what's coming into the U.S. through the mail system so they can catch potential security threats, contraband, or other problems before packages reach their destinations. Basically, it's about transparency and security—making sure nothing slips through the cracks in international mail without being properly documented and screened.

UPDATED USPS Act

Scott, Rick

Uniform Postal Data Acquisition for Transparency and Early Detection within the United States Postal Service Act or the UPDATED USPS Act This bill modifies requirements relating to advance electronic information for cargo. Specifically, the bill eliminates <ul> <li>a restriction on the use of advance electronic information for commercial enforcement, and</li> <li>waivers of the requirement to transmit advance electronic information for countries.</li> </ul> U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) must refuse entry for any international mail shipments for which advance electronic information is not transmitted for shipments received after December 31, 2023. By December 31, 2023, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) must arrange for the transmission to CBP of information for all international mail shipments. The USPS, at least every 30 days, must publish the number of such shipments for which the information was not transmitted to CBP during the preceding 30-day period. The bill requires monthly reports of specified information, including the volume of international mail shipments and other cargo received by the USPS and private sector importers for which advance electronic information is submitted.