Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Flurry of Free Mail Greets Election Year

Members of Congress “went on a franking frenzy” in the last half of 1991, doubling their rate of sending taxpayer-financed mailings to voters as they turned the corner into an election year, the National Taxpayers Union said. After spending $14.3 million in the first half of the year, the House and Senate increased their mail tab to $30.4 million in the final six months of 1991, said the group, which keeps an eye on federal spending. The House spent $10.5 million in the last three weeks of the year, enough to send 85 million pieces of mail. “With the 1992 elections around the corner, incumbents went on a franking frenzy,” said NTU Chairman James Davidson.