Mailer groups breathed a collective sigh of relief Tuesday when the House of Representatives unanimously passed S 380, the bill that would remove from the U.S. Postal Service the heavy burden of paying the pensions of many of its retired employees and stop a rate increase until 2006.

The Senate passed virtually the same bill last week. Tuesday’s action clearing the way for President Bush to sign it.

Last fall, the USPS discovered that it had overpaid the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) fund that provides for its retired employees by more than $70 billion. But in order for the USPS to reclaim that money it needed Congressional approval.

Mailers argued that this measure does not take the place of much-needed postal reform and that the industry must keep working toward that goal.

“We can’t squander this opportunity,” said Neal Denton, executive director of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers.

Just the same, it does give mailers a bit of breathing room.

“This will help mailers who are just getting back on their feet from the recession,” said Bob McLean, executive director of the Mailers Council. “It also gives printers and paper companies a break since mailers will probably continue to mail with no rate increase hanging over their heads.”

“This legislation will save the postal service $3 billion this year and, according to the Postmaster General, postpone any postage rate increases until 2006 – three years from now,” said Direct Marketing Association CEO H. Robert Wientzen in a statement. “This delay will do much to encourage growth in the nine-million-job mailing industry.”

“The Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) and its members congratulate and thank Congress for giving final approval today to the Postal Civil Service Retirement System Funding Reform Act of 2003,” said CEO Nina Link in a statement. “This remarkable achievement is the result of months of diligent work by MPA, its members and the entire postal community. The passing of this legislation, which will save mailers $7 billion in postage costs over the next three years, means that magazines’ postal rates will now remain stable until at least 2006.”

Mailer groups breathed a collective sigh of relief Tuesday when the House of Representatives unanimously passed S 380, the bill that would remove from the U.S. Postal Service the heavy burden of paying the pensions of many of its retired employees and stop a rate increase until 2006.

The Senate passed virtually the same bill last week. Tuesday’s action clearing the way for President Bush to sign it.

Last fall, the USPS discovered that it had overpaid the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) fund that provides for its retired employees by more than $70 billion. But in order for the USPS to reclaim that money it needed Congressional approval.

Mailers argued that this measure does not take the place of much-needed postal reform and that the industry must keep working toward that goal.

“We can’t squander this opportunity,” said Neal Denton, executive director of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers.

Just the same, it does give mailers a bit of breathing room.

“This will help mailers who are just getting back on their feet from the recession,” said Bob McLean, executive director of the Mailers Council. “It also gives printers and paper companies a break since mailers will probably continue to mail with no rate increase hanging over their heads.”

“This legislation will save the postal service $3 billion this year and, according to the Postmaster General, postpone any postage rate increases until 2006 – three years from now,” said Direct Marketing Association CEO H. Robert Wientzen in a statement. “This delay will do much to encourage growth in the nine-million-job mailing industry.”

“The Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) and its members congratulate and thank Congress for giving final approval today to the Postal Civil Service Retirement System Funding Reform Act of 2003,” said CEO Nina Link in a statement. “This remarkable achievement is the result of months of diligent work by MPA, its members and the entire postal community. The passing of this legislation, which will save mailers $7 billion in postage costs over the next three years, means that magazines’ postal rates will now remain stable until at least 2006.”