Post Office Designations and Establishing New Zip Codes

Floor Speech

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Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6303) to designate facilities of the United States Postal Service, to establish new ZIP Codes, and for other purposes.

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Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6303, introduced by Chairman Jason Chaffetz. This straightforward legislation would consolidate 10 postal naming bills and solve important local issues by designating five new ZIP Codes.

The 10 postal naming bills have all been passed by the House already this Congress. The five ZIP Codes designated by the bill will address significant issues faced by those five communities. In each case, the ZIP Code designation is driven by local leaders and strongly supported by the relevant Member of Congress. Local communities are not asking for new postal buildings, and no new construction will be required to accommodate the changes.

In the case of Southampton, New York, Chairman Chaffetz personally met with individuals and businesses impacted by delivery problems that could be solved with the addition of a new ZIP Code. I look forward to hearing more about the specifics of that situation from Representative Lee Zeldin of New York, who is here today.

In another example, the community of Ocoee, Florida, faces a lack of identity due to the six different ZIP Codes serving its citizens.

Additionally, some Ocoee residents are forced to pay nonresident rates or are flatly denied services because they are not identified by the correct ZIP Code.

These concerns aren't just limited to mail delivery. Communities without a unique ZIP Code are at higher risk for extended response times when calling 911 due to confusion and similar street names. ZIP Codes are also used to determine the appropriate distribution of tax revenue and insurance funds to local communities. Without the proper ZIP Code designations, some local communities may not receive their fair cut of local tax revenues.

In many situations, local leaders within the new ZIP Code designations have exhausted all options to obtain the requested changes. Some of these communities, such as Ocoee and Miami Lakes, have even offered to pay the Postal Service for the cost of new ZIP Codes but have been rebuffed. This legislation is the last path forward for these communities.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6303. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

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