# 119-hr-9076: Postal Data Privacy Act of 2026

119-hr-9076, Postal Data Privacy Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Scanlon, Mary Gay [D-PA-5] (D-PA); status introduced (as of 2026-06-24).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9076
- As of: 2026-06-24
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9076
- Congress: 119
- Title: Postal Data Privacy Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-05-29
- Sponsor: Rep. Scanlon, Mary Gay [D-PA-5] (D-PA)
- Cosponsors: 9
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-06-24

## Summary

**Requires court orders for mail covers and sets preservation and retention rules.** This bill would limit when government can collect mail-cover data and would require the Postal Service to preserve records while courts decide. - Households and mail recipients would gain stronger privacy. Agencies would need to show specific, articulable facts that a mail cover is relevant and material to an ongoing criminal investigation before a court could approve it. - Federal and state investigators would be blocked from using mail covers without a court order from a court of competent jurisdiction. State authorities could be prevented from obtaining an order if state law forbids it. - The Chief Postal Inspector and the U.S. Postal Service would have to preserve requested mail-cover records pending a court order and retain them for 90 days, extendable once by another 90 days. - The bill would tie the legal meaning of “mail cover” to the federal postal regulation (39 CFR 233.3) and add the new restriction as section 1738 in the criminal code.

## Cosponsors (9)

- Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA), 2026-05-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2] (D-MA), 2026-05-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-05-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jacobs, Sara [D-CA-51] (D-CA), 2026-05-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Veasey, Marc A. [D-TX-33] (D-TX), 2026-06-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] (D-MN), 2026-06-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1] (D-NM), 2026-06-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garcia, Robert [D-CA-42] (D-CA), 2026-06-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2026-06-22T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New rules for mail surveillance: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would bar a government entity from using a mail cover unless a court orders it. A court could only order a mail cover after the government shows specific and articulable facts. Those facts must give reasonable grounds to believe the cover is relevant to an ongoing criminal inve…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2086: Rights for the TSA Workforce Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-9076 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9076)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [119-hr-2086: Rights for the TSA Workforce Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2086)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9076 (as of 2026-06-24).