HARTFORD, CT. -- Two legislative proposals to limit the flow of direct advertising mail in Connecticut were dead on arrival before the General Assembly's General Law Committee earlier this week.

No formal drafts were written for House Bills 5410 and 5413, which according to the committee's clerk, effectively kills the proposals for this legislative session in Connecticut.

"The General Law Committee should be commended," said Jim Tepper, president of Printing Industries of New England, the region's largest trade association that represents 400 printing and graphic communications companies throughout the six-state region including 28 companies in Connecticut.

"The nation's economy is struggling to get back on its feet. Advertising mail serves a vital purpose in helping the nation's economy percolate," Tepper said. "Any burdensome regulatory effort that stems the flow of mail is misguided and needs to be stopped. This now marks the third time Do Not Mail proposals have been stopped in state legislatures in our region. We successfully lobbied elected officials in New Hampshire and Vermont that limiting the flow of advertising mail was bad for businesses of all sizes, and we're glad to see elected leaders in Connecticut agree."

Lisbeth Lyons, vice president of government affairs for Printing Industries of America, the nation's larges trade association for graphic communications companies agrees.

" From a pizza shop owner pursuing his entrepreneurial dream to the selling of automobiles and other durable goods, advertising mail helps consumers make informed spending choices. Advertising mail also drives business-to-business sales."

"Elected officials in Connecticut deserve credit for rejecting ideas that add unnecessary regulatory oversight and hamper economic progress," she said.

To date, Do Not Mail legislation has been introduced in nearly 20 state legislatures, but none have been passed into law.