H.R. 1065: Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025
Sponsor
Brian Fitzpatrick
Republican · PA-1
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Feb 6, 2025
Referred to the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. for review
Your mail carrier shouldn't risk getting robbed on the job
Why it matters
Attacks on letter carriers are surging — and the keys they carry can unlock every blue collection box on their route. H.R. 1065 puts $7 billion toward replacing those vulnerable master keys with electronic versions, assigns a dedicated federal prosecutor to postal crimes in all 94 judicial districts, and treats assaulting a mail carrier the same as assaulting a cop under sentencing guidelines.
The biggest piece is money. The bill authorizes $1.4 billion a year for five years — $7 billion total — for USPS to install high-security collection boxes and replace the old-fashioned "arrow keys" that letter carriers use. Arrow keys are universal: one key opens hundreds of mailboxes across a route. That's efficient for carriers but catastrophic when stolen, because a single key becomes a master pass to an entire neighborhood's mail.
The electronic replacements would make stolen keys useless. If a carrier is robbed, USPS can deactivate the electronic key remotely. No locksmith visits, no replacing hundreds of locks, no weeks of vulnerability while the old key is still out there.
The second piece is enforcement. The Attorney General would have to assign a dedicated assistant U.S. attorney in every federal judicial district — all 94 of them — to coordinate postal crime cases. That means assault on a carrier, mail theft, breaking into a post office, and robbery of mail facilities all get a named prosecutor responsible for pushing those cases forward. Right now, postal crimes often compete for attention with drug cases, fraud, and everything else on a federal prosecutor's desk.
The third piece is sentencing. The U.S. Sentencing Commission would have to treat assault or robbery of a postal employee the same way it treats assault on a law enforcement officer. That's a meaningful upgrade — it signals to judges that attacking someone delivering your mail is as serious as attacking a police officer.
What does H.R. 1065 do?
$7 billion to replace the keys that make mail theft easy
USPS gets $1.4 billion a year for five years to install high-security collection boxes and swap out the universal arrow keys that carriers use for electronic versions. Stolen electronic keys can be deactivated remotely — stolen arrow keys can't.
A dedicated postal crime prosecutor in every federal district
The Attorney General has to assign one assistant U.S. attorney in each of the 94 federal judicial districts to lead postal crime investigations and prosecutions. They'd handle assaults on carriers, mail theft, and break-ins at postal facilities.
Attacking a mail carrier treated like attacking a cop
The U.S. Sentencing Commission has to update federal guidelines so that assault or robbery of a postal employee carries the same weight as assault on a law enforcement officer. That includes conduct during immediate flight from the crime.
One year to get prosecutors in place
The Attorney General has 12 months after the bill becomes law to make all 94 district appointments. That's a fast timeline for the federal government — it signals Congress wants this operational quickly.
Who benefits from H.R. 1065?
Letter carriers walking routes every day
They're the ones getting robbed at gunpoint for their keys and bags. Better hardware means they're no longer carrying a master key worth stealing, and dedicated prosecutors mean the people who attack them are more likely to face federal charges.
Anyone who sends or receives mail
Your checks, prescriptions, tax documents, and birthday cards all pass through collection boxes that a stolen arrow key can open. Electronic keys that USPS can kill remotely shrink the window between a theft and the fix from weeks to minutes.
Communities hit hardest by mail theft rings
Mail theft isn't random — it concentrates in areas where stolen arrow keys circulate. Replacing those keys with deactivatable electronic versions breaks the business model for organized mail theft operations.
Who is affected by H.R. 1065?
People convicted of assaulting or robbing postal workers
They'd face sentencing aligned with assault on law enforcement — a substantial increase. The upgrade applies even to conduct during the getaway if it creates a substantial risk of serious bodily injury.
The Department of Justice
The AG has to name a lead postal crime prosecutor in all 94 federal judicial districts within one year. That's 94 new assignments — not new hires, but 94 prosecutors who need to add postal crime coordination to their portfolios.
USPS operations teams
Rolling out high-security collection boxes and electronic keys across the entire national mail network is a massive logistics project. The five-year, $7 billion timeline is aggressive for an agency already managing aging infrastructure.
Cost & Funding
Authorization
$1.4 billion per year for fiscal years 2026-2030, totaling $7 billion authorized
- The money is for USPS to upgrade physical infrastructure — collection boxes and electronic key systems.
- This is an authorization, not an appropriation. Congress still has to write the actual checks through the annual spending process.
- For context: USPS operates roughly 140,000 blue collection boxes nationwide. At $7 billion over five years, that works out to about $50,000 per box if the entire budget went to box replacement alone — though the funds also cover the electronic key transition.
- The dedicated prosecutor and sentencing provisions don't carry separate price tags. They use existing DOJ and Sentencing Commission resources.
What Congress Is Saying
H.R. 1065 hasn't been debated on the floor yet.
This section updates when a legislator speaks about it on the floor or in committee.
HR1065 Legislative Journey
House: Committee Action
Feb 6, 2025
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
About the Sponsor
Brian Fitzpatrick
Republican, Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district · 9 years in Congress
Committees: House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Ways and Means
View full profile →
Cosponsors (185)
This bill has 185 cosponsors: 159 Democrats, 26 Republicans, reflecting bipartisan support. Cosponsors represent 38 states: Alabama, Arizona, California, and 35 more.
Greg Landsman
Democrat · OH
Nick LaLota
Republican · NY
Donald Norcross
Democrat · NJ
Guy Reschenthaler
Republican · PA
Patrick Ryan
Democrat · NY
Sarah McBride
Democrat · DE
Daniel Goldman
Democrat · NY
Andrew Garbarino
Republican · NY
Chris Pappas
Democrat · NH
Betty McCollum
Democrat · MN
Bill Foster
Democrat · IL
Angie Craig
Democrat · MN
Cosponsor Coverage Map
Committee Sponsors
Oversight and Government Reform Committee
17 of 46 committee members cosponsored
Judiciary Committee
12 of 42 committee members cosponsored
42 Republicans across these committees haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 1065 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Oversight and Government Reform
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Government Operations and Politics
- Introduced
- Feb 6, 2025
Referred to the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. for review
Feb 6, 2025
Official Sources
Full bill text, actions, cosponsors, and status tracking for the Protect Our Letter Carriers Act
Federal law enforcement arm of USPS responsible for investigating mail theft, carrier robberies, and postal fraud
Joint USPS-USPIS initiative launched May 2023 to combat mail theft and carrier robberies — 3,358 mail theft arrests and 515 robbery arrests as of Dec 2025
How to protect your mail and report theft — from 2018-2023, Postal Inspectors arrested almost 9,000 suspects for mail and package theft
USPS press release on Project Safe Delivery results including 73% increase in robbery arrests and hardened collection box deployment nationwide
Federal criminal statutes covering mail theft, obstruction of mail, and postal employee offenses — the chapter this bill assigns dedicated prosecutors to enforce
The statute this bill amends to require a dedicated postal crime prosecutor in each of the 94 federal judicial districts
Federal sentencing guidelines the bill directs the Commission to amend so postal employee assault carries the same weight as law enforcement assault
H.R. 1065 Common Questions
Why are letter carriers getting robbed?
The key they carry. Every USPS letter carrier uses an "arrow key" — a universal master key that opens blue collection boxes, apartment mailbox panels, and cluster boxes across their entire route. Steal one key, gain access to thousands of pieces of mail. That makes carriers high-value targets for organized mail theft rings.
How much would H.R. 1065 cost?
$7 billion over five years — $1.4 billion per year from 2026 through 2030. That money goes to USPS for two things: installing high-security collection boxes and replacing the old arrow keys with electronic versions that can be deactivated remotely if stolen.
What are electronic mailbox keys and how do they stop theft?
They replace the traditional arrow key — a physical metal key that works on every mailbox on a route. Electronic versions can be deactivated remotely the moment one is stolen. With old arrow keys, USPS has to physically re-key every lock the stolen key opens. That can take weeks, during which all that mail stays vulnerable.
Would attacking a mail carrier carry the same penalty as attacking a police officer?
Under this bill, yes. The U.S. Sentencing Commission would have to update federal guidelines so that assault or robbery of a postal employee is sentenced the same way as assault on a law enforcement officer. That includes conduct during the getaway if it creates a substantial risk of serious bodily injury.
How many cosponsors does the Protect Our Letter Carriers Act have?
185 cosponsors — 26 Republicans and 159 Democrats. The bill was introduced by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), making it one of the most bipartisan bills in the 119th Congress. That level of support typically signals strong chances of at least getting a committee vote.
Would every federal district get a prosecutor dedicated to mail crimes?
Yes. The Attorney General has to assign one assistant U.S. attorney in each of the 94 federal judicial districts to coordinate postal crime cases — assaults on carriers, mail theft, post office break-ins. They have one year after the bill becomes law to make all 94 appointments.
Does H.R. 1065 guarantee USPS gets the $7 billion?
No. The bill authorizes the spending but doesn't appropriate it. Authorization is Congress saying "you can spend up to this much." Appropriation is Congress actually writing the check. USPS would still need Congress to include the money in annual spending bills — and that's a separate political fight.
Based on H.R. 1065 bill text
H.R. 1065 Bill Text
“To facilitate the implementation of security measures undertaken by the United States Postal Service, and for other purposes.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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