Junk mail is bad enough—-but what if it comes from the state?   The state senate says it should not.

The state revenue department saves about 800-thousand dollars a year in postage by putting junk mail ads in license renewal notices.

One of Senator Tim Green’s constituents called him and said, "The state should not be putting junk mail in my renewal notices."  Green says he concurred.  He knows the Revenue Department claims it saves about $800,000 a year in postage by putting junk mail in its renewal notices.  "Is it right for the state of Missouri who requires us to renew our plates to save money to the taxpayers to put junk mail in our renewal notices?" he asked the Senate.   He says the answer is clearly no–that the state should not become the marketing arm of a company to sell its products.

Other senators wonder if farmers will start getting fertilizer ads in letters from the state agriculture department, or if  insurance agents will get ads for competing insurance companies if the policy spreads.

The senate has decided to stop the practice before it spreads.  It has adopted Green’s proposal that at least ends the junk mail in revenue department notices.  It’s part of a bigger bill that still has to clear the House before the ban can take effect.

 

 

(It’s SA2 to SS/SCS/SB239 et al)

 

Download Bob Priddy’s story (:61 mp3)