{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/heinrich-cosponsors-legislation-to-protect-rural-postal-processing-facilities", "Heinrich Cosponsors Legislation to Protect Rural Postal Processing Facilities", "2024-12-02", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NM", "Martin Heinrich", "H001046", "www.heinrich.senate.gov", "heinrich", "https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) cosponsored the Postal Processing Protection Act, legislation that will require the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to fully study the consequences of closing or downsizing rural mail processing facilities before making any final decisions in an effort to protect rural mail processing facilities.\n\n\u201cFolks across New Mexico rely on the U.S. Postal Service to receive everything from paychecks to prescription medicine. I\u2019m proud to cosponsor legislation that would force this agency to think twice before taking away an essential service from New Mexicans living in rural communities,\u201d said Heinrich.\n\nCurrently, the USPS is not required to study or consider the effects of closures or consolidations of rural mail processing facilities on the communities they serve.\n\nThe Postal Processing Protection Act will require the USPS to consider the impact to rural areas when closing or downsizing processing centers, just as they do with closing post office retail locations.\n\nThe legislation is led by U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). Alongside Heinrich, the bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.).\n\nThe text of the bill is here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/heinrich-cosponsors-legislation-to-protect-rural-postal-processing-facilities"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4527090825140476, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}