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Digital Mail Tested for Congress

The pilot test should result in lawmakers getting access to constituent mail.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) -- A dozen congressional offices are involved in a pilot program to try and speed up mail delivery to Capitol Hill.

Following the anthrax attacks, all mail heading for Capitol Hill is first irradiated far off site and then checked again before being sent on to members of congress.

That means it often takes four to five days for a letter to reach a lawmaker. Before the anthrax attacks the norm was one or two.

The pilot program involves digitizing the mail once it has gone through security. The letters then show up on the computer screens of offices involved in the test.

House Administration Committee Chairman Bob Ney says the letters can be sorted by subject, meaning mail can be sent to a particular individual's computer.

If someone wants the original letter, all they have to do is ask for it.

Ney hopes the system will mean that lawmakers can return to receiving mail from their constituents in a more timely fashion.

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