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18 ■ October 6, 2010 • GRAPH EXPO


Official Show Daily • Cygnus Graphics Media


NPES Government Affairs Advocates Industry Priorities


Sustainable postal system, capital investment financing and cost recovery tax policy top list


arena by identifying legislative, regu- latory and judicial issues of impor-


T


he NPES Government Affairs Program represents the interests of industry members in the public policy


tance, and then developing and advo- cating policy positions and priorities in response. In that regard, during 2010 NPES has been an aggressive advocate for right sizing and improv- ing the business model of the United


States Postal Service (USPS), which is a vital partner in the distribution chain of printed commu- nication. The association has also been a strong proponent of government policy that encourages and facilitates capital investment that creates jobs and economic prosperity. NPES has been a leader in The Coali- tion for a 21st Century Postal Service,


organized in 2009 and composed of some 30 trade associations and com- panies united in the interest of sus- taining a postal system that remains indispensable to American commerce and communications in the 21st century. Coalition membership spans the range of mailers and their suppliers, which together form a nearly $1 trillion indus- try supporting 7.5 million jobs. The coalition is committed to both short and longer term strategies to respond to the effects of the recession and electronic diversion of mail, which make it clear that changes to the USPS business model are imperative.


Focusing on legislation Short term, the coalition has focused


on legislation to address the mandatory pre-funding of USPS’ retiree health benefits program. Longer term, the emphasis is on addressing structural issues, such as facility closings, per- sonnel costs, service opportunities, as well as on the key issue of over funding of the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) pension fund.


During 2010, NPES and its coalition allies have advanced these strategies by working at length with Congress, the Postal Service and the postal unions to conduct a series of “Postal 101” brief- ings for over three hundred congres- sional staff, and have conducted more than 75 individual meetings with leg- islators and their aides to help develop specific


legislative proposals. NPES


and its coalition partners will continue to press forward on these issues this year and in the 112th Congress. Access to credit is another critical top tier NPES government affairs pri- ority facing many businesses today. To address this issue, NPES and over 40 other trade associations have formed the Small Business Access to Credit Coalition to advocate for continuing enhanced Small Business Administra- tion (SBA) loan programs and extend- ing expiring loan guarantees and bor- rower fee reductions. The SBA has stated that these pro- posals will help alleviate the “lending gap” that exists between credit-worthy small businesses and the financing that banks are currently making available through conventional loans. Working hand-in-hand with expanded


credit availability, NPES remains persis- tent in urging the continuation of expens- ing and bonus depreciation tax policy for needed capital investment. Rapid capital (continued on page 20)


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