The Senate Should Explore Other Word Processing Alternatives To Improve Cost Effectiveness and Productivity

A survey was undertaken of the Senate's word processing needs and the methods currently employed to meet those needs. Each year, Senators receive more than 11 million letters from their constituents. Almost 40 percent of the Senate's personnel costs, $24 million, is for staff who handle constituent mail. An additional $4 million is spent on equipment, supplies, and support services. To keep up with the flood of mail, Senator's offices use automated word processing systems. The systems used include a Correspondence Management System (CMS), stand-alone word processors, and different types of paper-display word processors.