[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 171 (Wednesday, November 30, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H7008-H7010]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        POST OFFICE DESIGNATIONS AND ESTABLISHING NEW ZIP CODES

  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.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6303

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

     SECTION 1. POST OFFICE DESIGNATIONS.

       (a) Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer 
     (SEAL) Louis ``Lou'' J. Langlais Post Office Building.--
       (1) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 1221 State Street, Suite 12, Santa 
     Barbara, California, shall be known and designated as the 
     ``Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) 
     Louis `Lou' J. Langlais Post Office Building''.
       (2) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in paragraph (1) shall be deemed to be a 
     reference to the ``Special Warfare Operator Master Chief 
     Petty Officer (SEAL) Louis `Lou' J. Langlais Post Office 
     Building''.
       (b) Richard Allen Cable Post Office.--
       (1) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 23323 Shelby Road in Shelby, Indiana, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Richard Allen Cable 
     Post Office''.
       (2) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in paragraph (1) shall be deemed to be a 
     reference to the ``Richard Allen Cable Post Office''.
       (c) Leonard Montalto Post Office Building.--
       (1) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 3031 Veterans Road West in Staten Island, 
     New York, shall be known and designated as the ``Leonard 
     Montalto Post Office Building''.
       (2) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in paragraph (1) shall be deemed to be a 
     reference to the ``Leonard Montalto Post Office Building''.
       (d) Army First Lieutenant Donald C. Carwile Post Office 
     Building.--
       (1) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 401 McElroy Drive in Oxford, Mississippi, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Army First Lieutenant 
     Donald C. Carwile Post Office Building''.
       (2) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in paragraph (1) shall be deemed to be a 
     reference to the ``Army First Lieutenant Donald C. Carwile 
     Post Office Building''.
       (e) E. Marie Youngblood Post Office.--
       (1) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 14231 TX-150 in Coldspring, Texas, shall 
     be known and designated as the ``E. Marie Youngblood Post 
     Office''.
       (2) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in paragraph (1) shall be deemed to be a 
     reference to the ``E. Marie Youngblood Post Office''.
       (f) Zapata Veterans Post Office.--
       (1) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 810 N. U.S. Highway 83 in Zapata, Texas, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Zapata Veterans Post 
     Office''.
       (2) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in paragraph (1) shall be deemed to be a 
     reference to the ``Zapata Veterans Post Office''.
       (g) Marine Lance Corporal Squire ``Skip'' Wells Post Office 
     Building.--
       (1) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 2886 Sandy Plains Road in Marietta, 
     Georgia, shall be known and designated as the ``Marine Lance 
     Corporal Squire `Skip' Wells Post Office Building''.
       (2) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in paragraph (1) shall be deemed to be a 
     reference to the ``Marine Lance Corporal Squire `Skip' Wells 
     Post Office Building''.
       (h) Officer Joseph P. Cali Post Office Building.--
       (1) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 6300 N. Northwest Highway in Chicago, 
     Illinois, shall be known and designated as the ``Officer 
     Joseph P. Cali Post Office Building''.
       (2) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in paragraph (1) shall be deemed to be a 
     reference to the ``Officer Joseph P. Cali Post Office 
     Building''.
       (i) Segundo T. Sablan and CNMI Fallen Military Heroes Post 
     Office Building.--
       (1) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 1 Chalan Kanoa VLG in Saipan, Northern 
     Mariana Islands, shall be known and designated as the 
     ``Segundo T. Sablan and CNMI Fallen Military Heroes Post 
     Office Building''.
       (2) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in paragraph (1) shall be deemed to be a 
     reference to the ``Segundo T. Sablan and CNMI Fallen Military 
     Heroes Post Office Building''.
       (j) Abner J. Mikva Post Office Building.--
       (1) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 1101

[[Page H7009]]

     Davis Street in Evanston, Illinois, shall be known and 
     designated as the ``Abner J. Mikva Post Office Building''.
       (2) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in paragraph (1) shall be deemed to be a 
     reference to the ``Abner J. Mikva Post Office Building''.

     SEC. 2. ESTABLISHING NEW ZIP CODES.

       Not later than September 30, 2017, the United States Postal 
     Service shall designate a single, unique ZIP code for, as 
     nearly as practicable, each of the following communities:
       (1) Miami Lakes, Florida.
       (2) Storey County, Nevada.
       (3) Flanders, Northampton, and Riverside in the Town of 
     Southampton, New York.
       (4) Ocoee, Florida.
       (5) Glendale, New York.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Gosar) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.


                             General Leave

  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.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  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.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, ZIP Codes are used to organize our country to ensure the 
effective and efficient delivery of the mail to millions of Americans. 
The Postal Service has the authority to establish ZIP Codes and to 
adjust their boundaries based on changes in delivery and volume or 
operational concerns. However, communities, businesses, and other local 
entities can also voice their concerns about ZIP Code boundaries and 
petition for corresponding adjustments.
  H.R. 6303 would make such adjustments by requiring the Postal Service 
to establish new ZIP Codes for five communities that have each 
requested, and subsequently been denied, ZIP Code changes. These 
communities have based their ZIP Code requests on delays in mail 
delivery and emergency service response times, the denial or 
inconsistent application of services to their communities, and other 
similar community concerns.

                              {time}  1545

  These are important issues and they should be addressed accordingly. 
The Postal Service has worked with affected communities to find 
solutions, and I commend those efforts by the Postal Service.
  The Oversight and Government Reform Committee has also worked to find 
solutions to these concerns in its proposed postal reform legislation, 
and, in fact, most of these would receive unique ZIP Codes as part of 
that bill. That is why I support H.R. 6303 today.
  Finally, I want to highlight my strong support for the language in 
this bill before us today that would name ten post offices after 
honorable men and women, all of whom made important contributions to 
our Nation. Individual legislation allowing for the naming of those 
postal facilities has already passed the House and is simply awaiting 
action in the Senate.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Zeldin).
  Mr. ZELDIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6303, which would 
create a new, unique ZIP Code for the hamlets of Flanders, Riverside, 
and Northampton in my district.
  These three hamlets currently share the same ZIP Code with the nearby 
town of Riverhead, and there are at least 18 identical street names and 
32 similar street names. This causes a number of issues, including 
delay of mail and packages, which can hold important goods like 
medications. Shared street names can also delay the response time of 
emergency and medical personnel in situations where every second 
counts.
  This could all be avoided by assigning a new and unique ZIP Code to 
Flanders, Northampton, and Riverside, which is why I have been working 
closely with Chairman Chaffetz, even bringing him to Long Island to 
speak with those impacted in the community firsthand. I thank Chairman 
Chaffetz for his exceptional help with this issue.
  For many years, residents, local elected officials, and community 
organizations have been aware of this issue and the problems it brings. 
But despite their previous efforts, the issue still serves to be a 
burden for those in this area of the First Congressional District of 
New York.
  I would also like to thank Ron Fisher, chairman of the Flanders/
Riverside/Northampton Citizen Advisory Council and president of the 
Flanders, Riverside and Northampton Community Association, and all the 
members of these organizations for continuing this effort over the 
years. This has been a priority for them for many years, and it is an 
honor to be their voice in the House.
  I know this legislation also includes a new ZIP Code for the area, 
including Glendale. I have spoken with my colleague, Ms. Meng, who has 
been a tireless advocate on behalf of those residents in Glendale. I am 
real thrilled to see that that is included as well.
  I thank Mr. Gosar for his support and his efforts. To the entire 
staff of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Chairman 
Chaffetz is fortunate to have an amazing team working with him.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the 
gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Meng), one of the other champions of 
this legislation.
  Ms. MENG. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Mr. Lynch, for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6303, which includes a section 
to establish a new ZIP Code for the community of Glendale, New York. 
This section is identical to legislation I introduced last February, 
H.R. 657.
  I thank Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Chaffetz for 
authoring this legislation, and I thank Ranking Member Cummings for his 
support.

[[Page H7010]]

  For almost 30 years, the residents of Glendale, New York, have sought 
to obtain a unique ZIP Code for their community in Queens. They have 
experienced mail and service-related problems due to sharing a ZIP Code 
with the neighboring community of Ridgewood. These problems include 
medications that were spoiled or not received due to mail processing 
errors, delays in first responder services to residents in need of 
care, and inaccuracies with GPS devices.
  Roughly one-quarter of Glendale's population is eligible to receive 
Medicare, or will become eligible in the next decade. Many use a mail-
order pharmacy to receive their prescription drugs, and many more will 
use such services in the years to come. A single, unique ZIP Code for 
Glendale will ensure that mail delivery will be improved in the future.
  Creating a new ZIP Code for Glendale has been an ongoing and 
bipartisan challenge for Members of Congress who previously represented 
the area. I commend them for their efforts on behalf of the community, 
especially my predecessor, Representative Bob Turner.
  When I took office in the 113th Congress, the only recourse left to 
address this matter was through legislation. I am grateful to Chairman 
Chaffetz for including Glendale in this legislation. It has been a long 
fight for the community of Glendale to receive its own ZIP Code.
  Mr. Speaker, before I close, I would like to thank the local elected 
officials, civic associations, and community activists who have voiced 
their support for this issue over the years. In particular, I would 
like to thank Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, New York State 
Senator Joseph Addabbo, New York State Assemblymen Michael Miller and 
Andrew Hevesi, and New York City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley. I 
would also like to thank Dori Figliola, the Glendale Property Owners 
Association, Glendale Civic Association, and Citizens for a Better 
Ridgewood for their advocacy.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank you for allowing this legislation to the floor 
for a vote today, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this 
important measure.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, having no further speakers, I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Nevada (Mr. Amodei).

  Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Arizona and the 
ranking member. I appreciate the fact that the committee has taken this 
issue.
  As the person who represents the only district west of the 
Mississippi that was fortunate enough to be considered as deserving in 
this, I just want to make a couple of points. From the earlier talks 
too, it is like none of these ZIP Codes were ones where people just 
said: hey, let's go, OGR folks, and create a new one. Without 
exception, everybody went to the Postal Service and said: here is our 
stuff. And while the people in my State were good about it, what we got 
from the folks back here was basically: we kind of don't do that, and 
if you ask and if you are turned down, you can't ask again for X number 
of years. It is almost an implied threat for requesting one.
  So I can't thank the committee enough for taking a look into the 
issue. This particular one is actually the largest industrial park in 
the Nation--the marketing people tell me, so I will assume they are 
right--and it helps in another area, which is the State tax department 
that collects sales taxes. When you are building something, there are a 
lot of sales taxes based on ZIP Codes. So this will make sure that 
those sales tax dollars are generated and credited to where those 
materials are actually going.
  And I want to also note for the Record before I yield back that what 
you have here, apparently, is the three greatest States in the Nation--
New York, Florida, and Nevada--and so the other 47, keep trying.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart).
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, let me first thank the gentleman from 
Arizona for the time. And I also need to, in particular, thank Chairman 
Chaffetz for introducing this, I think, very important piece of 
legislation.
  We have heard what the issue is. Look, for years now the city of 
Miami Lakes, which I am privileged to represent, has attempted to 
receive a unique ZIP Code for all the same reasons that you have 
already heard. This would help with auto insurance rates, with branding 
and economic development, and, frankly, would lead to less election and 
census confusion, Mr. Speaker. So it is a no-brainer.
  But, unfortunately, the Postal Service has continued, and continues, 
to stonewall the city, despite absolutely no opposition from either 
anyone in Miami Lakes or, frankly, the areas around it. I have had 
meetings with the mayors from the areas around it, and everybody 
supports it. This legislation solves the problem and grants Miami Lakes 
its own ZIP Code.
  I really need to, by the way, give credit to then-Vice Mayor, now 
Mayor-elect of Miami Lakes, Manny Cid. He has made this a priority. He 
was told ``no'' time and time again, refused to accept that as an 
answer, and came to us. It has been a privilege to work with him. 
Because of his hard work, together, we were able to get the committee, 
with the chairman and the ranking member and all of the rest of the 
members of this committee, to get this done through the House.
  Again, I want to thank Congressman Chaffetz. I want to thank the 
committee staff. His staff has been great to work with.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of this legislation.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the bill.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 6303.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________