SINGLE, UNIQUE ZIP CODES FOR CERTAIN COMMUNITIES

On 2024-12-11, Representative Harriet M. Hageman (R-WY) delivered a floor speech titled "SINGLE, UNIQUE ZIP CODES FOR CERTAIN COMMUNITIES" in the House. The speech addressed taxes and also covered trade policy. It referenced legislation: HR8753.

SINGLE, UNIQUE ZIP CODES FOR CERTAIN COMMUNITIES

Congressional Record, Volume 170 Issue 184 (Wednesday, December 11, 2024) [Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 184 (Wednesday, December 11, 2024)] [House] [Pages H6821-H6825] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SINGLE, UNIQUE ZIP CODES FOR CERTAIN COMMUNITIES Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill [[Page H6822]] (H.R. 8753) to direct the United States Postal Service to designate single, unique ZIP Codes for certain communities, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 8753 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SINGLE, UNIQUE ZIP CODES FOR CERTAIN COMMUNITIES. Not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the United States Postal Service shall designate a single, unique ZIP Code for each of the following communities: (1) Eastvale, California. (2) North Tustin, California. (3) Castle Pines, Colorado. (4) Centennial, Colorado. (5) Cherry Hills, Colorado. (6) Greenwood Village, Colorado. (7) Highlands Ranch, Colorado. (8) Lone Tree, Colorado. (9) Severance, Colorado (10) Silver Cliff, Colorado. (11) Sterling Ranch, Colorado. (12) Superior, Colorado. (13) Scotland, Connecticut. (14) Estero, Florida. (15) Ft. Myers, Florida. (16) Hollywood, Florida. (17) Miami Lakes, Florida. (18) Ocoee, Florida. (19) Oakland Park, Florida. (20) Lighthouse Point, Florida. (21) Coconut Creek, Florida. (22) Parkland, Florida. (23) Deerfield Beach, Florida. (24) Wilton Manors, Florida. (25) Burr Ridge, Illinois. (26) Urbandale, Iowa. (27) Carmel, Indiana. (28) Noblesville, Indiana. (29) Westfield, Indiana. (30) Zionsville, Indiana. (31) Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (32) Montz, Louisiana. (33) Grass Valley, Nevada. (34) Swanzey, New Hampshire. (35) Kinnelon, New Jersey. (36) Flanders, New York. (37) Glendale, New York. (38) Riverside, New York. (39) Pendelton, New York (40) Northampton, New York. (41) Goose Creek, South Carolina. (42) Fairview, Texas. (43) Murphy, Texas. (44) Sargent, Texas. (45) Fairlawn, Virginia. (46) Caledonia, Wisconsin. (47) Franklin, Wisconsin. (48) Greenfield, Wisconsin (49) Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. (50) Somers, Wisconsin. (51) Mills, Wyoming. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. Boebert) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Colorado. General Leave Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Colorado? There was no objection. Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 8753, to direct the United States Postal Service to designate single, unique ZIP Codes within their system for certain communities throughout the country. While all the communities in this bill typically utilize some sort of ZIP Code already, the ones we are discussing today do not have a ZIP Code that is unique to their city or town in the Postal Service system, and this does have some very serious consequences. Communities that do not have a unique ZIP Code within the Postal Service system often experience associated problems that include loss of economic development, loss of sales tax, unjustifiably high insurance rates, tax remittance and commercial licensing issues, diminished public safety and reduced emergency response times, identity issues, and efficiency issues. For example, first responders often go to the wrong streets of people needing help. They are experiencing delays due to these ZIP Code issues that would be addressed by my legislation. It is estimated that the city of Lone Tree, in my new district in Colorado, is losing about $5 million in sales tax revenue each year because of this ZIP Code issue. H.R. 8753 requires the Postal Service to formally establish unique ZIP Codes for these communities across the Nation within their system. This bill is a product of various House Members' advocacy for their districts and requires the Postal Service to formally recognize 51 communities within their system. As a sponsor of this bill, I am proud that this bill would help communities in my home State of Colorado, including the communities of Silver Cliff, which really got me passionate about this issue to begin with, Lone Tree, Castle Pines, Centennial, Severance, Greenwood Village, Superior, and Sterling Ranch. The current process allows small towns and cities to petition the Postal Service for a unique ZIP Code, but it is rarely approved. If it is denied, they cannot appeal this decision for up to 10 years. Congress has intervened on these matters in the past and passed laws enacting four unique ZIP Codes through the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006, so there is a precedent for this type of legislation. My bipartisan bill has support from communities and Members throughout our great country. While this may seem like a niche issue to some, it is very and extremely important to these cities and towns that asked for this bill to be put forward on their behalf. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bipartisan bill to support small cities and towns throughout America, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. Boebert), my friend, for bringing forward H.R. 8753. This bill would require the U.S. Postal Service to designate unique ZIP Codes for more than 50 different communities across America. The legislation actually combines multiple bills that have been introduced in this Congress by both Republicans and Democrats that aim to address specific community concerns expressed over a long period of time about disrupted mail delivery, undeliverable and lost mail, and geographic confusion. I commend Representative Boebert for her very creative and undaunted work on this issue, which has been a chronic headache for residents of dozens of small communities across the land. For example, Scotland, Connecticut, is a municipality with only 600 addresses, and it is broken up into six different ZIP Codes. The town has reported multiple instances of disruptions in mail delivery, including absentee ballots in recent elections. The town has already sought the assistance of the Postal Service, which operates a ZIP Code Boundary Review Process, and even sent an appeal after their initial petition was denied. The process has been protracted and a tough task for them, as well as for other communities covered by Ms. Boebert's legislation. The distinguished gentlewoman's bill operates as a last resort for towns to get the resources and the attention that they deserve. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to support this legislation. Congress has designated new ZIP Codes via legislation in the past. I found the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, enacted in 2006, required the designation of unique ZIP Codes for four different towns. This one is far more comprehensive. Mr. Speaker, we are delighted to endorse the legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim). Mrs. KIM of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 8753, which directs the U.S. Postal Service to designate unique ZIP Codes for certain communities, including North Tustin in my district. North Tustin is a longtime community and census designated place, but its status as an unincorporated area has caused confusion. Simply put, a unique ZIP Code is common sense, and it will help residents with postal delivery and taxation issues. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. [[Page H6823]] Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Griffith), my good friend. Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support this bill. It is an important bill. Mr. Speaker, I represent the community of Fairlawn, Virginia. Fairlawn is in Pulaski County, but it has a Radford City ZIP Code. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues may say that is not such a big deal because, in most of the 50 States, the cities are within a county. In Virginia, the cities are completely independent. All the tax money of the numerous businesses in Fairlawn often gets sent mistakenly to the city of Radford, which is completely independent of Pulaski County, thus denying Pulaski County or making it a hassle for them to track down the accurate amounts of money that they are supposed to receive on the local part of the Virginia sales tax. Further, this confusion can create other problems. Recently, our area was hit with Hurricane Helene. Pulaski County got its designation early. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired. Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentleman from Virginia. Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Speaker, when Hurricane Helene hit, the County of Pulaski was designated a couple of days before the city of Radford for FEMA assistance, and the people of Fairlawn were told that they were not in Pulaski but in Radford, so they couldn't get assistance. Mr. Speaker, this is why we need the bill. Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lopez), who represents the Fourth Congressional District. Mr. LOPEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Congresswoman Boebert's bill. She will be taking over for my district

Referenced legislation: HR8753, HR8753