WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) recently announced that he will seek to schedule a vote on an amendment by Senators Jon Tester (D-MT) and Bob Corker (R-TN) to delay implementation of rules that limit the swipe fees the banks extract from merchants for debit card purchases.

Although it is unclear which piece of legislation Reid will allow the amendment to be attached to, the vote could come any time after June 6 when the Senate returns from the Memorial Day recess.

This amendment would delay implementation of debit card swipe fee reform for 15 months. It would require a 6-month study of the effect of swipe fee reform on bank profitability €" not the effect on retailers, consumers or the economy. It would then require new rules to be written based on the results of the study. This is an amended version of Senator Tester€™s legislation (S. 575) that would have delayed implementation by 2 years. He did this as a "compromise" to garner more votes, however it is far worse than his original bill.

Please engage as many of your colleagues as possible to do one or more of the following:

Send Computer-Generated Letters: This is the least time consuming action, and the number of letters received by a senator does matter so this is a good option for company-wide action. Send employees to nacsonline.com/swipefeesletter. From here they can enter their names and addresses and the program will automatically e-mail a letter to the correct senators urging a "No" vote on the Tester amendment. This is a new letter, so if you have already sent a letter please send this one as well.

Call Your Senators in D.C. and At Home: You will most likely be speaking to a receptionist (unless you know your senator personally and can get through to him/her personally). Simply state your name, title and company, and tell them you want him/her to vote "No" on the Tester amendment or any other amendment to delay debit card swipe fee reform. That€™s all you have to do. Encourage as many employees as possible to do the same. Click here for a phone list of senators.

Fax Letters To Your Senators: While more time consuming than computer-generated e-mail letters, faxes are far more effective. It does not have to be long: On your company letterhead ask your senator to vote "No" on the Tester amendment or any other amendment to delay debit card swipe fee reform. Of course, any additional information you can add about the impact swipe fees are having on your company is extremely helpful. Click here for a fax list of Senate offices.

Schedule a Meeting With Your Senators Over the Memorial Day Recess, May 30 to June 3: This is the most effective communication. If you get a meeting, invite industry colleagues to join you. If you need talking points, please contact Lyle Beckwith, NACS senior vice president of government relations, at lbeckwith@nacsonline.com or (703) 518-4220.