39 U.S.C. § 403

Current through P.L. 118-107 (published on www.congress.gov on 11/21/2024)

Section 403 - General duties

(a) The Postal Service shall plan, develop, promote, and provide adequate and efficient postal services at fair and reasonable rates and fees. The Postal Service shall receive, transmit, and deliver throughout the United States, its territories and possessions, and, pursuant to arrangements entered into under sections 406 and 411 of this title, throughout the world, written and printed matter, parcels, and like materials and provide such other services incidental thereto as it finds appropriate to its functions and in the public interest. The Postal Service shall serve as nearly as practicable the entire population of the United States.

(b) It shall be the responsibility of the Postal Service-

(1) to maintain an efficient system of collection, sorting, and delivery of the mail nationwide;

(2) to provide types of mail service to meet the needs of different categories of mail and mail users; and

(3) to establish and maintain postal facilities of such character and in such locations, that postal patrons throughout the Nation will, consistent with reasonable economies of postal operations, have ready access to essential postal services.

(c) In providing services and in establishing classifications, rates, and fees under this title, the Postal Service shall not, except as specifically authorized in this title, make any undue or unreasonable discrimination among users of the mails, nor shall it grant any undue or unreasonable preferences to any such user.

39 U.S.C. § 403

Pub. L. 91-375, Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 723; Pub. L. 96-70, title I, §1331(e)(1), Sept. 27, 1979, 93 Stat. 482.

EDITORIAL NOTES

AMENDMENTS1979-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 96-70 substituted "The Postal Service" for "Except as provided in the Canal Zone Code, the Postal Service".

STATUTORY NOTES AND RELATED SUBSIDIARIES

EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1979 AMENDMENT Amendment by Pub. L. 96-70 effective Oct. 1, 1979, see section 3304 of Pub. L. 96-70 set out as an Effective Date note under section 3601 of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse.

EFFECTIVE DATESection effective Jan. 20, 1971, pursuant to Resolution No. 71-10 of the Board of Governors. See section 15(a) of Pub. L. 91-375 set out as a note preceding section 101 of this title.

CONTINUATION OF MAIL DELIVERY SERVICES Provisions requiring continuation of six-day delivery and rural delivery of mail at not less than the 1983 level were contained in the Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006,Pub. L. 109-115, 119 Stat. 2490, and were repeated in provisions of subsequent appropriations acts which are not set out in the Code. Similar provisions were also contained in the following prior appropriations acts: Pub. L. 108-447, 118 Stat. 3264. Pub. L. 108-199, 118 Stat. 340. Pub. L. 108-7, 117 Stat. 442. Pub. L. 107-67, 115 Stat. 525. Pub. L. 106-554, §1(a)(3) [title II], Dec. 21, 2000, 114 Stat. 2763, 2763A-135. Pub. L. 106-58, 113 Stat. 444. Pub. L. 105-277, div. A, §101(h) [title II], Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681-480, 2681-492. Pub. L. 105-61, 111 Stat. 1290. Pub. L. 104-208, div. A, title I, §101(f) [title II], Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009-314, 3009-326. Pub. L. 104-52, 109 Stat. 476. Pub. L. 103-329, 108 Stat. 2392. Pub. L. 103-123, 107 Stat. 1234. Pub. L. 102-393, 106 Stat. 1737. Pub. L. 102-141, 105 Stat. 843. Pub. L. 101-509, 104 Stat. 1396. Pub. L. 101-136, 103 Stat. 790.Pub. L. 100-440, title II, Sept. 22, 1988, 102 Stat. 1727. Pub. L. 100-202, §§101(m) [title II], 102, Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1329-390, 1329-397, 1329-433. Pub. L. 99-500, §§101(m) [title II], 102, Oct. 18, 1986, 100 Stat. 1783-308, 1783-314, 1783-346, and Pub. L. 99-591, §§101(m) [title II], 102, Oct. 30, 1986, 100 Stat. 3341-308, 3341-314, 3341-346. Pub. L. 99-190, §§101(h) [H.R. 3036, title II], 102, Dec. 19, 1985, 99 Stat. 1291, 1315. Pub. L. 98-473, §§101(j) [H.R. 5798, title II], 102, Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 1963, 1964.Pub. L. 98-151, §§102, 106, Nov. 14, 1983, 97 Stat. 975.Pub. L. 98-107, §§102, 108, Oct. 1, 1983, 97 Stat. 740, 741. Pub. L. 97-377, title I, §111B, Dec. 21, 1982, 96 Stat. 1912.Pub. L. 97-35, title XVII, §1722, Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 759, as amended by Pub. L. 98-369, div. B, title II, §2209, July 18, 1984, 98 Stat. 1061.Pub. L. 96-499, title IV, §412, Dec. 5, 1980, 94 Stat. 2607.

PROHIBITION OF 9-DIGIT ZIP CODEPub. L. 97-35, title XVII, §1726, Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 761, prohibited Postal Service from implementing ZIP code system using more than 5 digits before Oct. 1, 1983, and prohibited executive agencies from taking action to conform mailing procedures to ZIP code system using more than 5 digits during the period from Aug. 13, 1981 to Dec. 31, 1982.

Governors: "Governors" means the 9 members of the Board of Governors appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, under section 202(a) of this title;
Postal Service: "Postal Service" means the United States Postal Service established by section 201 of this title;