Mailer groups were pessimistic that two bills introduced Wednesday in Congress would avert a new postal rate case being filed this year.

“It’s likely the Postal Service will file a new rate as early as April and that would raise rates next year,” said Neal Denton, executive director of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers. “I’m going to encourage all our members to turn on their word processors and write their elected representatives and urge them not only to vote for these bills but co-sponsor it as well. This is now the most important issue we’ve had in many years.”

One bill, introduced in the house by Rep. John McHugh (R-NY), would prevent a $71 billion overpayment by the postal service to the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). The bill requires that the savings be used to pay down its debt to the Treasury, to help keep postal rates steady until at least 2006 and to fund retiree health benefits.

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced similar legislation in the Senate.

“These bills were introduced because the efforts to have it run through the appropriations committee appeared to be dead in the water,” said Gene Del Polito, president of the Association for Postal Commerce. “We could have had this whole thing over and done with but now it’s going to have to go through the legislative process. It

Mailer groups were pessimistic that two bills introduced Wednesday in Congress would avert a new postal rate case being filed this year.

“It’s likely the Postal Service will file a new rate as early as April and that would raise rates next year,” said Neal Denton, executive director of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers. “I’m going to encourage all our members to turn on their word processors and write their elected representatives and urge them not only to vote for these bills but co-sponsor it as well. This is now the most important issue we’ve had in many years.”

One bill, introduced in the house by Rep. John McHugh (R-NY), would prevent a $71 billion overpayment by the postal service to the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). The bill requires that the savings be used to pay down its debt to the Treasury, to help keep postal rates steady until at least 2006 and to fund retiree health benefits.

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced similar legislation in the Senate.

“These bills were introduced because the efforts to have it run through the appropriations committee appeared to be dead in the water,” said Gene Del Polito, president of the Association for Postal Commerce. “We could have had this whole thing over and done with but now it’s going to have to go through the legislative process. It