DMA STATEMENT: DISCUSSION DRAFT OF SENATE POSTAL REFORM LEGISLATION
NEW YORK, May 12, 2004 – The Direct Marketing Association (The DMA) voiced its support to Members of the U.S. Senate, and especially Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and also Sen. Thomas Carper (D-DE), who today released a discussion draft of a postal reform bill.
The DMA said that this measure is a positive indication that the push for postal reform legislation is continuing to build momentum in the 108th Congress.
"We genuinely appreciate the leadership of Senators Collins and Carper who have been vigorously working to craft and pass through Congress postal reform legislation this year," said H. Robert Wientzen, president & CEO, The DMA. "We look forward to continuing to work closely with both Senators and their staffs, the Committee on Governmental Affairs, and Members of the Senate, in order to achieve a sustainable business model for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) that will enable it to deliver reliable, affordable, and universal postal services well into the 21st century."
"Postal reform legislation is of vital importance to the members of The DMA, The DMA Nonprofit Federation (DMANF), and, indeed, all corporate and nonprofit mailers," said Wientzen. "A nine-hundred billion dollar industry that directly employs more than nine million Americans is in jeopardy unless meaningful reforms are enacted soon."
The DMA is currently reviewing the specifics of the 102-page draft and expects to have a more detailed analysis in the coming days. However, The DMA did note today that upon initial review, it appears that the draft includes positive provisions that would sustain the Postal Service.
"The DMA will continue to work cooperatively with Members of Congress, the mailing community, and Postal Service management and employee groups to get necessary reforms enacted this year," said Wientzen. "We need meaningful legislative reforms as soon as possible in order to prevent imminent, double-digit rate increases that will ripple throughout our economy.
"It is essential that the direct marketing industry remains engaged in this important endeavor," Wientzen said.
About The DMA
The DMA is the leading trade association for businesses interested in interactive and database marketing, with nearly 4,700 member companies from the United States and 53 other nations. Founded in 1917, its members include direct marketers from every business segment as well as the nonprofit and electronic marketing sectors. Included are catalogers, Internet retailers and service providers, financial services providers, book and magazine publishers, book and music clubs, retail stores, industrial manufacturers and a host of other vertical segments, including the service industries that support them. According to a DMA-commissioned economic-impact study, direct and interactive marketing sales in the United States are projected to have surpassed $1.7 trillion in 2003, including $133 billion in catalog sales and $41 billion in sales generated by the Internet. The DMA's Web site is www.the-dma.org, and its consumer Web site is www.shopthenet.org.
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