[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 130 (Friday, September 25, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1815-E1816]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       INTRODUCTION OF THE FEDERAL AGENCY MAIL ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

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                      HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 25, 1998

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduced legislation that 
will express the sense of the Congress that Federal Agencies should 
develop a plan to coordinate their mailing expenses, the content of 
their taxpayer financed mailings, and the currentness of the lists to 
which they are mailing.
  I find it shocking that with annual expenditures of nearly $1 
billion, the Executive Branch of government does not have a coordinated 
mailing plan. The total spending of taxpayer dollars is not monitored 
by any agency, other than the Postal Service, and the content of their 
mailings is determined by each Federal Agency, with no uniform rules on 
partisanship or political content. Additionally, I am concerned that 
the mailing lists are not current, as I have seen firsthand, and that 
the Federal Government is wasting money by mailing to outdated lists.
  Congress is subject to strict rules about the content of their 
mailings, the timing of their mailings, and annual budgets. I believe 
that the Administration, in consultation with Congress, must take a 
comprehensive look at their mailing practices and determine some 
uniform standards by which to operate.
  I urge my colleagues to support the Federal Agency Mail 
Accountability Act.

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