[press release]
New Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee Members Appointed

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service today announced the appointment of three members to the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC).

Created in 1957, the CSAC evaluates all stamp proposals received by the Postal Service. Committee members, appointed by the Postmaster General, provide expertise on history, science and technology, art, education, sports and other subjects of public interest.

The new members are:

Ivan Cash
Ivan Cash is an award-winning interactive artist and film director, and the founder of Cash Studios of Oakland, CA.

Conceptually driven and genre bending, Cash’s media projects spark meaningful conversation and impact culture. His work has been featured in The New York Times, CNN, TIME, The Guardian, Fast Company, Buzzfeed, and The Atlantic. Three of his videos have been named Vimeo Staff Picks and two have been selected as Webby Honorees.

Cash has been recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 artist, an Art Directors Club Young Gun, and a PRINT New Visual Artist. His work has been exhibited around the world from the Brooklyn Museum to the Australian Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences and is in the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London.

Spencer R. Crew
Spencer R. Crew is the Clarence J. Robinson Professor of History at George Mason University. He has worked in public history institutions for more than 25 years. Crew served as president of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and worked at the National Museum of American History (NMAH), Smithsonian Institution for 20 years, serving as director for nine. At each of those institutions, he sought to make history accessible to the public through innovative and inclusive exhibitions and public programs. Crew is an active member of the academic and cultural communities, serving on numerous boards that work to generate enthusiasm for history among the public.

Crew is a co-author of The American Presidency, A Glorious Burden.

Mike Harrity
Mike Harrity is the senior associate athletics director, Student-Athlete Services, at the University of Notre Dame. He leads the areas of sports performance and student welfare and development, serves a lead role with primary benefactor groups.

Harrity has 17 years of experience at NCAA Division I institutions supporting 720 student-athletes across 26 teams at the University of Notre Dame. He directs all areas that impact the student-athlete experience, with a focus on optimally enhancing the academic, personal, athletic, professional and service-learning experience of each student-athlete from recruitment through alumni status. Harrity explored the subject of creating and sustaining cultures of excellence with 13 coaches and many of their team members, who have won 103 combined championships; the results of his exploration were published in his first book, Coaching Wisdom (2012).

Submitting Stamp Suggestions
Due to the time required for research and approval in the stamp selection process ideas for stamp subjects should be received at least three years before the proposed issuance. Each submission should include pertinent historical information and important dates associated with the subject. Proposals must be in writing and submitted by U.S. Mail. No in-person appeals, phone calls or e-mails are accepted. Mail your suggestion (one topic per letter) to the address below:

Stamp Development
Attn: Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee
475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Room 3300
Washington, DC 20260-3501

The Postal Regulatory Commission approved this request in its entirety on November 13th.

The PRC said, “Rate increases for Market Dominant products must meet certain statutory and regulatory requirements, the most prominent of which is that such increases be no greater than the rate of inflation, as determined by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. Conversely, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act requires, among other things, that rates for Competitive products must produce sufficient revenues to ensure they are not subsidized by Market Dominant products. The Commission found that the rates for both classes of mail meet all statutory requirements and may take effect, January 27, 2019, as planned.”

“No greater than the rate of inflation…” However, that is on average. The cost of mailing a one-ounce letter is going up 10%. The rate of inflation, October 2017 to October 2018, rose just 2.5%.

We can expect new Priority Mail and Express Mail stamps, as well as some definitives, on the date the new rates go into effect, January 27, 2019.

One major change proposed, however, is in First-Class Package Service—Retail: Right now, it’s a flat rate of $3.50 for up to four ounces. Under the October 10 proposal, the rate would range from $3.66 to $4.06 for up to four ounces, depending on distance. The service includes tracking.

To determine a domestic zone, use this tool on the USPS website. Choose the second tab, “Get Zone for ZIP Code Pair.”

[press release]
U.S. Postal Service Announces New Prices for 2019

WASHINGTON — The United States Postal Service filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) today of price changes to take effect Jan. 27, 2019.

The proposed prices, approved by the Governors of the Postal Service, would raise Mailing Services product prices approximately 2.5 percent. Shipping Services price increases vary by product. For example, Priority Mail Express will increase 3.9 percent and Priority Mail will increase 5.9 percent. Although Mailing Services price increases are based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), Shipping Services prices are primarily adjusted according to market conditions. The Governors believe these new rates will keep the Postal Service competitive while providing the agency with needed revenue.

If favorably reviewed by the PRC, the new prices will include a 5-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp, from 50 cents to 55 cents. The single-piece additional ounce price will be reduced to 15 cents, so a 2-ounce stamped letter, such as a typical wedding invitation, will cost less to mail, decreasing from 71 cents to 70 cents.

The proposed Mailing Services price changes include:

The proposed domestic Priority Mail Retail Flat Rate price changes are:

First-Class Package Service, a lightweight expedited offering used primarily by businesses for fulfillment purposes, will move to zone-based pricing to better align with the cost of service and improve value based on distance.

The Postal Service has some of the lowest letter mail postage rates in the industrialized world and also continues to offer a great value in shipping. Unlike some other shippers, the Postal Service does not add surcharges for fuel, residential delivery, or regular Saturday or holiday season delivery.

The PRC will review the prices before they are scheduled to take effect Jan. 27, 2019. The complete Postal Service price filings with the new prices for all products can be found on the PRC site under the Daily Listings section at https://www.prc.gov/dockets/daily (see listing for Oct. 10). For the Mailing Services filing see Docket No. R2019-1. For the Shipping Services filing see Docket No. CP2019-3.The price change tables are also available on the Postal Service website at https://pe.usps.com/PriceChange/Index.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to fund its operations.

More details on the proposed rate changes can be found here.