This article was produced by Merry Law, Mailers Hub’s expert consultant on international mail. Merry may be reached at MLaw@WorldVu.com The US Congress has a long history of passing bills related to the USPS. The Postal Service Reform Act (PSRA) of 2022 was the first to pass Congress since the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA), passed in 2006. (Congress…
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This article was produced exclusively for Mailers Hub by Stacy O. Stitham and Adam Mooney of Brann & Isaacson. We could easily fill an entire volume about copyright law, with a second devoted to trademark topics. With much less space and time at our disposal, we will focus on a few niche areas that may have particular relevance to a…
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As reported on June 15 by Government Executive, a bill passed by the House of Representatives could reverse precedent and restrict a government agency’s latitude in interpreting and applying the statutes it’s charged with implementing. As stated in the article, “The Separation of Powers Restoration Act (HR 288) would allow federal courts to review all aspects of a law’s implementation…
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On June 12, the Postal Regulatory Commission reopened a docket initiated in 2021 but later suspended while a related matter was being reviewed in federal court. Docket RM2021-2, opened January 15, 2021, was to consider a “PerformanceIncentive Mechanism” to motivate improved Postal Service performance. As stated in the original Advance Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking, the PRC sought “… input from…
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In a paper released May 22, three individuals experienced in the regulatory environment urged reforms be undertaken to revitalize the Postal Regulatory Commission.Authored by Tom Davis, who served in Congress from 1995 through 2008 and was chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, David Williams, formerly USPS Inspector General and a Postal Service governor, and Michael Kubayanda, the…
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Brann & Isaacson are following up their Feb 21 webinar, “Bad News About Sales Tax: The Tax Man Cometh”, with a three-part series that dig further into the issues, details, and pitfalls your company can face as a commercial mailer. On February 21, in their webinar, the “Bad News About Sales Tax: The Tax Man Cometh,” lawyers Martin Eisenstein and…
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics March 14 release of the Consumer Price Index for February supplied the final figure needed to calculate the CPI-based portion of the pricing authority that will be available to the Postal Service for its anticipated April filing: 3.406%. Part one The agency’s CPI-based rate authority resets to zero after every price filing, so the size…
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In consecutive filings with the Postal Regulatory Commission on February 10, the Postal Service revised two of its competitive product categories, continuing its ongoing restructuring of package services overall. First-Class Package Service In the first filing (docketed as CP2023-113), the USPS announced it will rename First-Class Package Service as “USPS Ground Advantage,” raise its weight limit to seventy pounds, and…
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As informed members of the commercial mailing community are aware, the Postal Service’s Board of Governors consists of the Postmaster General, the Deputy PMG, and nine political appointees who are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The nine appointed governors serve staggered seven-year terms, and each can serve an additional holdover (or “grace”) year until a successor…
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In a memorandum opinion issued October 6 by the US District Court for the District of Columbia, Judge Emmet Sullivan granted in part and denied in part motions related to a case that originated during the 2020 election season. Background Following the appointment of Louis DeJoy as Postmaster General in mid-2020, the politically charged pre-election period led to suspicions that…
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