Print Execs Hit Capitol Hill to Support Postal Reform

Last week nearly 50 printing, imaging and mailing industry executives met with 46 congressional offices in Washington, D.C., urging support for postal reform legislation and immediate 100% expensing of capital investment. They were there as part of “The First 100 Days” Legislative Conference, co-hosted by NPES and Idealliance.

“Bringing printers, mailers and their suppliers together in face-to-face meetings with members of Congress and their staffs, only a week after the approval of bi-partisan consensus postal reform legislation, H.R. 756, The Postal Reform Act of 2017, by the House Oversight and Government Reform (OGR) Committee, was a well-timed grassroots advocacy effort designed to advance postal reform legislation in the House as a whole, as well as the Senate,” said Idealliance Executive VP Ken Garner. “Postal reform is clearly on a fast track, and our objective is to enact it this year.”

The urgent need for the legislation is heightened by the impending review of United States Postal Service (USPS) postage rates by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), as required by the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. Provisions in H.R.756 that would provide greater financial stability and sustainability to the Postal Service, such as more fully integrating postal retirees into the Medicare system, would help mitigate against large and debilitating rate increases that could result from the PRC review.

In addition to congressional office meetings, the agenda for the conference included an address by Deputy Postmaster General Ronald A. Stroman. Attendees also heard from H.R. 756 co-sponsors Congressmen Elijah Cummings (D-7-MD) Ranking Member of the OGR Committee, and Stephen Lynch (D-8-MA), as well as from their OGR colleague Carolyn Maloney (D-12-NY).

In addition to postal reform, industry executives advocated for:

Comprehensive tax reform, including:

• Immediate 100% expensing of capital investment;
• Lower tax rate for all businesses, regardless of how they are organized;
• Elimination of the federal estate tax, with retention of the stepped-up basis for inherited assets; and,
• Retention of the full and immediate deductibility of advertising as an ordinary and necessary business expense.

International trade agreements that foster U.S. manufacturers’ ability to successfully compete in the global marketplace, including:

• International trade agreements that effectively open global markets to U.S. exporters, facilitating free, fair, and reciprocal trade; and,
• A fully staffed Export-Import (EXIM) Bank that helps level the export financing playing field for U.S. manufacturers.

Health care reform that supports the employer-based health insurance system;

Regulatory reform that fosters fair regulatory process and review; and,

Government deference to the use of paper-based options for communications and/or compliance when needed by citizens.

“With crucial issues like these, it’s imperative for our industry to weigh in with the information legislators need to make informed decisions,” stated NPES Chairman Mal Baboyian, Executive VP, LFS/PPS, Canon Solutions America, Inc. “In fact, NPES believes this program to be so important that our board, again this year, met in conjunction with the conference.”