The Hill newspaper has reported that Members of Congress are in discussions to quickly pass a bill (S. 1789, The 21st Century Postal Reform Act) that would reform the Postal Service. Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK), Ron Johnson (R-WI) and John McCain (R-AZ) attached an amendment (SA 2060) to that bill in April in response to the GSA scandal involving extravagant meetings and expenses that the agency had paid for. This amendment cawould allow federal agencies to attend only one association meeting per year, as well as other onerous requirements. (Click here for an analysis of the amendment prepared by the American Society of Association Executives.) As you are aware, CARH routinely has representatives from federal agencies speak at our national meetings. In addition, CARH’s state affiliated associations also invite federal agencies to their meetings. The amendment would curtail this travel and negatively affect the working relationship between our industry and federal government.

Although the House did not include the amendment in its version of the postal reform bill, it is important that this amendment not be included in the final bill, either intentionally or unintentionally during the postal reform negotiations. Unfortunately, the rushed nature of postal reform could allow the provision to pass in the lame duck session of the 112th Congress. Therefore, please contact your Members of Congress to make them aware of this amendment and the damage it could cause to the private-public partnerships that we have developed. As always, it is more effective to include a personal story or situation that could be affected by SA 2060 and also how it could hurt the public good overall.

Click here to contact your Senators.

Click here to contact your Representative.

If you have any questions, please contact the National CARH office at 703-837-9001 or carh@carh.org.