JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Operational changes intended to help the financially troubled U.S. Postal Service save money aren't going over well with some small-business owners in Missouri and other states.

Recent modifications, including the end of overtime for workers, have led to numerous reports of delays, both in personal and commercial mail and package delivery. John McHugh, chairman of the Package Coalition, said there is legitimate concern about the viability of some small businesses if these problems linger during what's expected to be a challenging economic recovery.

"Package delivery for them is often vital," he said. "They have to get whatever it is they're making to their customers; they have to get from their suppliers whatever it is they need. And if that service is not available, what happens to those small businesses? They shut down. That's horrible for them."

Missouri has more than 523,000 small businesses.

The postmaster general said the cutbacks are needed to produce more efficiencies for the agency, which could lose roughly $11 billion this year.

There have been growing calls for a federal rescue, but some Republicans -- including President Donald Trump -- have resisted that idea and favor privatization. Brad Jones, Missouri state director for the National Federation of Independent Businesses in Missouri, cited some communities where the postal service is their only delivery option.

"The Postal Service in our rural areas are so important for your smaller businesses to be able to get out their billing, to be able to get out the marketing pieces that they need to get out, just to reach out to their existing clientele," he said. "It's extremely important."

Jones said the one thing small-business owners don't like is uncertainty.

"Whether it be in their taxes, how much they're paying for health care, their delivery system -- whatever it might be, uncertainty is never good in the small-business world," he said.

The U.S. Senate is considering a bipartisan bill that would provide up to $25 billion in emergency financial relief for the U.S. Postal Service.

Missouri small-business information is online at sba.gov.


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The next legislative session is approaching in Olympia and Washington state's budget shortfall will be one of the biggest topics.

A gap of $10 billion to $12 billion is expected over the next four years.

Jerry Cornfield, a reporter for the nonprofit newsroom Washington State Standard, said a number of ideas have been thrown out. He noted Democrats are considering increasing taxes on businesses and wealth or excise taxes.

"They've also talked about a higher tax on the sales of super expensive properties," Cornfield explained. "They're really targeting wealthy individuals and large businesses in many of their proposals."

Cornfield pointed out the budget deficit could make it difficult to fund other priorities such as in education. Because of the gap, he does not foresee major changes in education funding this session. Republicans said reducing spending is the better option for shrinking the deficit. The session starts Monday.

On the housing front, Cornfield observed stabilization went far in previous sessions and could be on deck this session.

"Democrats are going to try to push it across the finish line and to the governor's desk this session," Cornfield projected. "They have more members in each the House and the Senate. They seem poised to really impose a statewide limit on rent increases -- monthly rent increases or annual rent increases -- of some percentage."

Cornfield stressed the priorities of newly elected Governor Bob Ferguson will likely determine the direction of the session. He added some nonbudget related topics could surface, such as reducing the blood-alcohol level for drunken driving. Gun-related legislation usually bubbles up too.

"There are bills again being introduced that would further narrow where people can openly carry weapons," Cornfield reported. "There's also going to be probably a good fight on this bill requiring individuals to have a permit before they purchase a weapon."

Cornfield said the legislation could involve a gun safety class for people to get a permit.


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North Dakota lawmakers gather in Bismarck today for a new legislative session and as they settle in, they will have public polling data to analyze ahead of final votes down the road.

Today's events mainly consist of speeches, including the governor's state of the state address. When committee hearings are eventually heard, legislators face pressure from the public to tackle property tax reform.

A new poll from DFM Research showed 81% of those surveyed support such a move. Last fall, voters rejected largely doing away with local property taxes, keeping the revenue tool in hand for communities.

Dean Mitchell, owner of DFM Research, said it is clear voters want such a balance.

"People understand that property taxes are in the mix to fund schools but they do want that reform," Mitchell reported. "I think that's the number one issue in the realm of education."

The second-highest priority in the poll, commissioned by the teacher's union ND United, was universal lunches. Among respondents, 79% support providing no-cost school meals to all students, regardless of their family's income. Meanwhile, 68% oppose public money being used for private school tuition.

All the issues are expected to be debated this session. Some bills might vary in their language, namely school choice, with differing views on various models being floated. Mitchell noted North Dakota voters appear to be in tune with the public education landscape and what their district's needs are, versus trends, such as private vouchers, seen in other parts of the country.

"I think it's just kind of that common sense nature of North Dakotans (being) a little bit more closely tied to their community," Mitchell observed.

He added the poll results reinforce long-standing sentiments. The survey was conducted last month with 600 voters from around the state interviewed via landline, mobile phone and text-by-web.

On Wednesday, Maryland's legislative session begins in Annapolis - and state lawmakers are facing numerous challenges.

Maryland expects pressure from the incoming Trump administration, which has called for slashing the federal workforce.

In a state where the workforce is among the most dependent on federal employment, those jobs translate into tax dollars for the state.

Brenda Wintrode, state politics reporter at the Baltimore Banner, said that matters - especially as Maryland stares down a nearly $3 billion deficit.

"This is going to probably take up a lot of the oxygen out of the session," said Wintrode. "It's the worst imbalance the state has seen in two decades. The revenues just aren't keeping up with the expenses, and economic growth remains sluggish, even though unemployment is at a record low."

She added that she'll be watching to see what lawmakers decide, whether it's cutting spending or raising taxes. Maryland lawmakers have pre-filed more than 250 bills for the 90 day session.

The deficit will have ripple effects in other areas, including education policy.

Progressive reforms, called the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, were passed in 2021. They include increasing teacher pay, preparation time for teachers and diversity among educators.

Wintrode said the program is ambitious, but costly, at a time when the budget remains unbalanced. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has said he is willing to pause certain policies, given the budget situation.

"Gov. Moore nodded that he would like to look at some of the most costly portions of the program and see how they can cut back on them," said Wintrode. "And one is this portion of the education reform that would allow teachers more time to plan their classes."

Other bills include support for in vitro fertilization, phone-free classrooms, and consumer protections on automatic renewals.