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Nebraska's Adrian Smith keeping postal workers busy(Omaha World-Herald (NE) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jul. 8--WASHINGTON -- First-term Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., is doing his part to keep postal workers busy. With only a few months on the job, Smith is still learning the legislative ropes. But he has mastered the art of "franking," a special privilege afforded members of Congress that allows them to send mail to their constituents using taxpayer money. In the first quarter of 2007, Smith sent out 130,536 pieces of mail at a total cost of $23,622. Based on cost, that places him 13th among the 51 freshmen House members. About half of the freshmen sent no franked mass mail in the first three months of the year. Members of Congress spend millions every year to reach constituent mailboxes with everything from colorful, glossy newsletters to simple postcard notices of upcoming town hall meetings. Reps. Lee Terry and Jeff Fortenberry, both Nebraska Republicans, sent franked mailings to their constituents last year. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, sent none in 2006. Of the three, only Fortenberry had a mailing in the first quarter of 2007. Earlier this year, Smith mailed a multipage newsletter labeled "Addressing Nebraska's priorities" that was typical of such mailings. It included a photo of Smith meeting with workers at a combine manufacturing plant near Grand Island and touting his views on the farm bill, rural economic development and fiscal responsibility. It included a survey and informed constituents that Smith would help them with matters such as dealing with federal agencies and service academy nominations. Charles Isom, a Smith spokesman, said franked mail is an especially important communication tool for his boss, because Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District is so large that it can be difficult to touch base with constituents. "It's important that they hear from him," Isom said. The practice of franking has been the target of criticism over the years, particularly from the National Taxpayers Union. A spokesman for that group, Pete Sepp, said the mailings seem unnecessary. "Some members of Congress would call this introducing themselves to their constituents," Sepp said. "One would think that having gone through a political campaign just months before, his constituents would know him." The group directs its strongest criticism at franking in election years. Franked mass mailings are prohibited 90 days before an election for House members and 60 days prior to an election for senators. Sepp's group would like to see the mailings banned completely in election years. Fortenberry, who won re-election last year, sent out 412,037 pieces in 2006 at a total cost of $79,415. During the first three months of this year, Fortenberry sent 127,099 pieces at a cost of $23,237. Spokesman Josh Moenning said Fortenberry uses franked mail to inform Nebraskans about his work in Washington and to send invitations to constituent meetings. "It's an important responsibility to communicate with constituents," Moenning said. "It is expected and generally appreciated." Terry, who also won re-election last year, sent out 472,135 pieces in 2006 at a total cost of $73,321. Terry said when he first came to Capitol Hill, he sent a snazzier mailing with lots of photos, but backed off that after receiving criticism. Now most of his mailings are in simple letter format. His mailings from last year included a piece about Terry's efforts to secure funding for cleanup of lead contamination. The piece was sent to residents of the affected parts of Omaha. Other pieces touted Terry's efforts to protect "the sanctity of human life," support gun rights and extend tax cuts. Terry said those mailings went to constituents who had contacted him about the issues in question and wanted to be kept updated about developments on Capitol Hill. King has sent out mass mailings in the past, but none last year. A spokesman said King believes other avenues of communication are more effective, such as an audio broadcast he regularly records and sends to radio stations. Senators also have franking privileges. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., has sent few mass mailings lately -- none last year or in the first quarter of 2007. His past mailings have addressed such things as advising high schools about service academy nominations. Spokeswoman Julie Edwards said Nelson believes that the lag time between preparing such pieces and delivery makes it difficult to include timely information and that other communication methods are more efficient. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., uses the franking privilege to send an annual report to constituents. In the first quarter of 2007, that meant 252,700 pieces of mail sent at a total cost of $54,178. "It's an important way of communicating with constituents," said Hagel spokesman Mike Buttry. To see more of the Omaha World-Herald, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.omaha.com. Copyright (c) 2007, Omaha World-Herald, Neb. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |