FederalDaily - September 11, 2006
Lending Protections Urged For Military
Two advocacy groups are making a renewed call for lawmakers to enact provisions to protect military
families from predatory lenders who use “loan-shark” lending practices and impose interest
rates as high as 2,000 percent. The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the Fleet Reserve Association
(FRA) on Sept. 7 both urged House and Senate conferees to support a 36 percent cap on predatory lending
for inclusion in the final FY 2007 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Such a cap was included
in the Senate version of the NDAA. Earlier this year, testimony at the House Subcommittee on Military
Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs described how predatory lenders operate outside the gates of military
bases, preying on young servicemembers in need of short-term cash, and writing them loans which carry
interest rates of up to 2,000 percent. A Department of Defense report also documents that high-cost
lenders cluster around military bases and tout easy-money loans via the Internet. To see more, go to: www.fra.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=News&CONTENTID=
3643&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm.
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APWU Questions USPS Consolidation
The U.S. Postal Service could do a better job seeking public opinion as it develops a plan to consolidate
local postal facilities, according to expert testimony submitted to the Postal Rate Commission on behalf
of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU). The APWU on Sept. 7 said officials and the public in affected
areas (Sioux City, Iowa; Rockford, Ill.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Jackson, Tenn.; and Yakima Wash.) felt
they had been left out of the loop as USPS advances its network consolidation plan. Margaret L. Yao,
a senior associate at AmericaSpeaks, a non-profit that encourages citizen engagement in government,
sharply criticized the USPS for failing to adequately consult with the public. In a report on the five
public meetings organized by the USPS, Yao concluded that Postal Service’s Public Involvement
Plan was “needlessly flawed” and that the “deficiencies of the current adversarial
approach have invited scrutiny, delay, frustration, and cynicism.” Union officials said the plan
ignores the public and caves in to demands of business and advertising mailers. For more, see: www.apwu.org/news/webart/2006/webart-0650-testimonyprc-060907.htm.
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House Endorses TRICARE Drug Discounts
The House voted 374 to 30 on Sept. 7 to instruct House and Senate conferees working on the FY 2007
National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to adopt a Senate provision extending drug discounts to TRICARE
beneficiaries. Such instructions carry weight, but are not binding. The vote follows up a move last
month by a contingent of 42 House Democrats who sent a letter to House and Senate leaders to adopt
just such a position. If adopted, the provision would clarify old rules and force pharmaceutical companies
to extend discounts to the TRICARE retail program. Otherwise, the co-pay on generic drugs could jump
from $3 to $6 a month and the co-pay on brand name drugs could increase from $9 to $16 a month. “We
need to provide military personnel and their families with access to affordable prescription drugs
at the retail level,” said Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md. To see more, go to: www.cardin.house.gov/index.cfm?ContentID=2353&ParentID=
29&SectionID=42&SectionTree=29,42&lnk=b&ItemID=2334
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