H.R. 6441: Puerto Rico Postal Equity Act of 2025

The Puerto Rico Postal Equity Act of 2025 aims to improve the accuracy and recognition of addresses in Puerto Rico within the United States Postal Service (USPS) systems. The bill highlights several key findings regarding the current challenges faced in accurately delivering mail in Puerto Rico, which stem from historical and structural complexities in local addressing conventions. These challenges include discrepancies between locally assigned addresses and those recognized by the USPS, federal agencies, and major private platforms. Moreover, these inconsistencies often involve the omission or alteration of diacritical marks, leading to delivery errors and issues with official records.

Key Provisions

The bill mandates the Postmaster General to implement several improvements within 180 days of its enactment, including:

• Identifying locations in Puerto Rico with frequent address recognition or mail delivery issues using existing USPS operational indicators, such as Undeliverable-As-Addressed codes and consumer complaint information.
• Updating and improving the address records, routing information, and validation tables for the identified locations.
• Revising systems to better support the use of diacritical marks and other address elements specific to Puerto Rico.
• Taking additional necessary actions to enhance recognition and delivery of mail to properly assigned addresses in Puerto Rico.

Consultation and Reporting Requirements

To successfully carry out these improvements, the Postmaster General is required to consult with relevant organizations including the Bureau of the Census and local governments in Puerto Rico. Additionally, the Postmaster General must submit reports to Congress about the actions taken under this bill and the progress made towards improving address recognition and delivery in Puerto Rico. Reports are to be submitted one year after enactment and then annually for three years.

Funding and Compliance

The bill specifies that no additional funding is authorized to implement its provisions. Instead, the actions must be conducted using existing appropriations or funds made available to the USPS.

Definition of Diacritical Marks

In the context of this bill, a "diacritical mark" is defined as any accent, tilde, or other orthographic sign used in the Spanish language to indicate pronunciation or meaning in names and place names in Puerto Rico.

Relevant Companies

• FDX (FedEx Corporation) - As a major logistics and delivery company operating in Puerto Rico, FedEx may see an impact in terms of operational efficiency and accuracy in address recognition influenced by the USPS’s improvements.
• UPS (United Parcel Service) - Similar to FedEx, UPS’s delivery operations in Puerto Rico may benefit or be challenged based on how address data is handled by the USPS post-enactment of this bill.