[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 21 (Wednesday, March 1, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E211]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E211]]
        INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 3768 TO ENSURE ZIP CODE ALLOCATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. STEPHEN HORN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 1, 2000

  Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, it's deja vu all over again. In the 105th 
Congress I stood before this body and introduced a bill designed to 
ensure fairness in ZIP code allocation. I had hoped not to be here 
again in the 106th Congress. I had hoped to be in my district, 
announcing the creation of a unique ZIP code for the City of Signal 
Hill by the United States Postal Service. Instead, I am back before 
this body, reintroducing a bill I hope will be the end to this decade-
long problem.
  I rise today to re-introduce a bill that would ensure fairness in ZIP 
code allocation. This issue was brought to my attention by the ongoing 
plight of one city in my district--the City of Signal Hill. Signal Hill 
is a bustling community of over 9,000 residents located in Southern 
California, surrounded completely by the City of Long Beach. 
Unfortunately, this community's growth and economic expansion are 
hampered by the three-way division of the city among ZIP codes. While 
the issuance of five little numbers may not seem like a big deal to 
many of those in Washington, it is of paramount importance to this 
community back home.
  Dividing a community results in mail addressing and delivery problems 
and higher insurance rates for residents. It is unfair at best and 
inefficient at worst to punish residents of Signal Hill with 
unnecessarily high costs simply because the Postal Service mandated 
this division without any input from this active community. I have 
worked with the United States Postal Service since I came to office 
over five and a half years ago to find a solution to this issue that 
benefits both parties, however I am afraid we have come to an impasse. 
The Postal Service refuses to allocate a unique ZIP code to this city 
despite the overwhelming evidence that Signal Hill needs and deserves 
its own ZIP code. The time has come for a new approach to this ongoing 
problem.
  The bill I am re-introducing would ensure that all cities like Signal 
Hill can count on efficient mail service and a distinct community 
identity. It says any city with a population of at least 5,000 
residents that is completely surrounded by another city would not have 
to share its Zip code with any other city. This legislation takes the 
politics out of Postal Service decision-making and institutes instead, 
a straightforward, fair system for ZIP code allocation. This bill will 
put an end to years of delivery problems, community identification 
problems and insurance rate problems. Simply put, an economically 
independent community should not be forced to share their identity with 
anyone else simply due to geography and Postal Service bureaucracy. The 
City of Signal Hill is a distinct and viable city and deserves to be 
recognized as such.
  Mr. Speaker, the bill follows:

                               H.R. 3768

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. ZIP CODE REQUIREMENT.

       (a) Requirement.--Effective 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, no ZIP code that is assigned to a city 
     (or portion of a city) that is completely surrounded by any 
     other city may also be assigned to any area outside of the 
     city so surrounded.
       (b) Definition.--For purposes of this section, the term 
     ``city'' means any unit of general local government that is 
     classified as a city, town, or municipality by the Bureau of 
     the Census, and within the boundaries of which 5,000 or more 
     individuals reside.

     

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