Washington, D.C., July 19 – The Greeting Card Association (GCA) issued the following statement reacting to H.R. 2748, the Postal Reform Act of 2013, introduced by Congressman Darrell Issa today:

“We agree with Congressman Issa that Postal Service reform is critical and are heartened to see legislative movement on this important issue,” said Rafe Morrissey, GCA Vice President of Postal Affairs. “We remain committed to commonsense reform of the Postal Service, however, that maintains universal service and affordable rates. We are concerned that Congressman Issa’s bill, while making some positive reforms, still insists on cutting essential services like Saturday delivery. Our recently released report shows that the need to cut such services or raise rates simply does not exist, laying out over 100 different proposals that would put the Postal Service on a path to solvency.”

The GCA analysis draws from both Government Accountability Office (GAO) and USPS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) reports. It outlines more than 100 deficit reduction proposals that do not cut critical services or raise prices, including 54 proposals that could be implemented immediately without Congressional legislation or collective bargaining.

“Our commonsense approach focuses on structural reforms that will achieve the necessary operational efficiency and cost savings. More importantly, we provide flexibility to all stakeholders with more than 100 alternative proposals that preserve the universal service and affordable prices that consumers expect and deserve from the Postal Service. We look forward to working closely with Congressman Issa, Congressman Cummings and all members of the relevant committees to ensure the Postal Service is strong and solvent for the next generation and beyond,” Morrissey concluded.

ABOUT THE GREETING CARD ASSOCIATION
The Greeting Card Association is the U.S. trade association serving the greeting card and social expression industry. Founded in 1941, the GCA today represents nearly 200 American and international publishers from diverse businesses – ranging from young start-ups to established companies of all sizes, scopes and years in the industry – as well as suppliers that provide production services and product distribution at the wholesale level.

More information on the GCA’s commonsense solution for the Postal Service is available at CommonSensePostalSolutions.org