Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Peter Welsh (D-VT) re-introduced the Deliver for Democracy Act this week. The Deliver for Democracy Act would:
- Require USPS to either achieve at least a 95% on-time delivery rate for periodicals or an improvement of at least 2 percentage points to unlock its 2% surcharge authority for that class of mail;
- Direct the USPS to annually report to the PRC on its progress in including on-time delivery data for newspapers in its periodical service performance measurement; and
- Instruct the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study and submit a report to Congress on options for alternate USPS pricing schemes to improve the financial position of periodicals.
Additional co-sponsors include: Senators John Hoeven (R-ND), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
An identical bill was introduced in the House by U.S. Representatives Robert Aderholt (R-AL) and Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO).
The Deliver for Democracy Act is endorsed by the National Newspaper Association and News/Media Alliance.
“Local journalists play a critical role in keeping millions of Americans informed, but right now the postal system’s unsustainable rates and unreliable service are endangering many of our members. If something doesn’t change soon, they may be pushed out of business, and residents of communities both large and small will see a loss of quality news and information. We thank Senator Welch and Senator Rounds for their leadership and support for the Deliver for Democracy Act,” said Danielle Coffey, News/Media Alliance President and CEO.
Holly Lubart is Vice President, Government Affairs at the News/Media Alliance. Previously, she served as Vice President of Government Affairs for the PA NewsMedia Association and started her career as a journalist. Lubart has over 20 years of political and communications experience.