Graves, Cleaver, Alford Introduce Pony Up Act

Missouri 6th District Representative Sam Graves has joined Missouri’s 5th District Congressman Emanuel Cleaver and 4th District Congressman Mark Alford to introduce a bill which is intended to protect consumers from late fees that are the result of the bills being delivered late through the U.S. Postal Service.

The Pony Up Act would require the USPS to pay any late fees incurred on bills due to delayed delivery service.

The bill would enable anyone who incurred a late fee due to the late delivery of a bill to file a claim for a late fee repayment. Filing for the repayment would occur online through a portal or in person at any post office.

The legislation would also require a report on delayed mail, giving Congress relevant and accurate information to identify how effective the Postal Service is and what average delays look like.

A release announcing the bill’s introduction states that both Representatives Graves and Cleaver set a letter to the Postmaster General with concerns about the agency’s failure to provide a congressionally mandated six-day mail delivery in October of 2022.

Both Congressmen called on the Postmaster to deliver a plan to address mail delivery delays in March of last year. The USPS responded by conducting an audit of delayed mail and delivery operations for the Northland and the Kansas City area. That audit was completed in August of last year.