The Printing Industries of America (PIA), headquartered in Sewickley, Pa., welcomed the recent passage of H.R. 6407—the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006, approved by both the United States House of Representatives and the Senate in the final hours before both chambers adjourned the 109th Congress on Dec. 9. PIA is a co-founder of the Coalition for a Twenty-First Century Postal Service, and passage of comprehensive postal reform legislation was the group’s top legislative goal this Congress.
H.R. 6407—the first major overhaul of the United States Postal Service (USPS) in three decades—calls for a ten-year cap on postal rates, and the tying of those rates to the Consumer Price Index. Capping rates is key to providing businesses affordability and predictability in relation to postage increases. The legislation also provides financial reforms to enable the USPS to better meet its employee benefits obligations and management reforms, designed to improve service performance and create efficiencies within the organization.
“As the final hours of the 109th Congress ticked away, the fate of postal reform legislation truly hung in the balance,” said Lisbeth Lyons, vice president of government affairs. “The printing industry owes a huge thank you to the Senate and House leadership for pushing completion of this effort to modernize the country’s postal system. PIA especially thanks Senators Collins, Lieberman, and Carper, as well as Representatives Tom Davis, Waxman, and McHugh for their dogged determination and persistent leadership on the issue of postal reform over the past several years.”
PIA now calls upon President Bush to sign H.R. 6407 into law as soon as possible. “The White House was highly engaged in the final months of postal reform negotiations and was a true partner in helping Congress achieve this legislative goal,” said Lyons. “PIA looks forward to celebrating the President’s enactment of this law.”
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