This bill is designed to crack down on crimes targeting mail carriers and the postal system. Right now, if someone attacks a mail carrier, it's treated as a regular assault, but this bill would make it carry the same legal penalties as assaulting a police officer—meaning harsher sentences. The bill also requires the Department of Justice to assign at least one federal prosecutor in every court district whose job is specifically to investigate and prosecute crimes against postal workers and the mail system, like assaults, break-ins at post offices, or mail theft.

On the practical side, the bill also funds improvements to postal security. It gives the USPS money to install high-security mailboxes that are harder to break into and to replace the old universal mailbox keys (the ones that open many mailboxes) with electronic versions that are more secure and harder to duplicate. Together, these changes aim to make mail carriers safer on the job and reduce mail theft and tampering.

Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025

Gillibrand, Kirsten E.

Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025 This bill requires or authorizes certain actions related to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The bill requires the Department of Justice to appoint an assistant U.S. attorney in each judicial district to coordinate and supervise the investigation and prosecution of various crimes related to postal services (for example, assault on a postal service employee, breaking into a post office, or obstruction of mails). The bill also requires the U.S. Sentencing Commission to amend sentencing guidelines to provide that the assault or robbery of a postal employee shall be treated the same as the assault of a law enforcement officer.Additionally, the bill authorizes appropriations for the USPS to install high security collection boxes and replace older versions of the universal mailbox key with electronic versions.