Postal Data Privacy Act of 2026

This bill would bar government agencies from using a mail cover unless they first get a court order. A mail cover is defined by an existing federal regulation and generally refers to recording information from the outside of mail. A court could issue the order only if the agency presents specific facts showing reasonable grounds to believe the mail cover is relevant and material to an ongoing criminal investigation, and a state agency could not get an order if state law prohibits it. The bill also requires the Chief Postal Inspector, when an agency asks, to preserve related records for 90 days while a court order is pending, with one additional 90-day extension on a renewed request.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Mary Gay Scanlon Democrat sponsor
• 9 cosponsors