[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 124 (Monday, July 21, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H3492-H3493]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ESTABLISHING NEW ZIP CODES
Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 672) to establish new 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. 672
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. ESTABLISHING NEW ZIP CODES.
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) Scotland, Connecticut.
(3) Cooper City, Florida.
(4) Miami Lakes, Florida.
(5) Ocoee, Florida.
(6) Village of Estero, Florida.
(7) Urbandale, Iowa.
(8) Mills, Wyoming.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Kentucky (Mr. Comer) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Simon)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky.
General Leave
Mr. COMER. 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
gentleman from Kentucky?
There was no objection.
Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 672 designates single and unique ZIP Codes for
communities across the Nation. There are currently over 41,000 ZIP
Codes in the United States. In some cases, ZIP Codes are misaligned
with local boundaries. H.R. 672 addresses the concerns of various
localities and establishes new ZIP Codes for communities across the
Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart),
the bill's sponsor, for putting this bill together.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. SIMON. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 672 would require the United States
Postal Service to designate unique ZIP Codes for a number of
communities across the country. This bill aims to address certain
issues related to economic development and public safety regulations
and mail delivery.
{time} 1550
For example, Eastvale is a town in southern California that is home
to 69,000 residents. It currently shares two ZIP Codes with neighboring
jurisdictions.
Without a unique ZIP Code, Eastvale residents have reported mail
delivery issues for delivery of legal notices, code enforcement
activities, public outreach, and election mail.
Eastvale residents have also reported higher insurance rates because
of errors related to another jurisdiction, disrupting their ability to
obtain affordable wildfire insurance.
I appreciate the diligence of Congressman Diaz-Balart, the chair, and
the committee staff, and the other Members in ensuring that each town
being marked up in today's amendment version of this bill satisfies all
the committee's requirements for consideration.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart), the sponsor of the bill.
Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, let me first start by thanking the
chairman and the ranking member for their fine work.
[[Page H3493]]
Mr. Speaker, the ranking member already mentioned some of the issues
that we are trying to solve with this bill, and there are so many other
communities that this bill will help, including Miami Lakes, which I
have the privilege to represent.
Mr. Speaker, this is going to be the third time if it passes--and I
hope it will--that we pass this bill out of the House. This bill has a
Senate companion, and, Mr. Speaker, it is a bipartisan Senate
companion. I want to mention the sponsors: Senator Rick Scott, Senator
Joni Ernst, and Senator Alex Padilla.
It deals with a lot of issues that we have already heard about, but
it is important to note that those are not small issues for those
communities. They are problematic issues.
We have heard from mayors, local elected officials, and constituents
for many, many years--I think all of us that this bill is dealing
with--but I am referring particularly to Miami Lakes in Miami-Dade
County. Unfortunately, the Postal Service has done nothing about it.
Miami Lakes alone has gone through the USPS' boundary review process
three times to no avail, which is, again, unfortunate.
While the Postal Service operates, by the way, on a fee-for-service
basis and receives no direct appropriations--I want to make sure that
everybody understands that--my team, my staff, has talked to the
Congressional Budget Office to make sure that there is no score with
this. The news is, as I just mentioned, this bill does not score.
I am confident--I sincerely hope, for the people of Miami Lakes and
the folks around the country--that the third time will be the charm,
that this will become law. I am confident that it will.
I started by thanking the chairman of the committee and his staff. I
thank the staff, along with the chairman and the ranking member. I also
thank, from my team, Vanessa Scott, who is my staffer who has worked
day in and day out. I would be remiss if I didn't thank the Speaker,
the majority leader, the whip, and all leadership for all they are
doing to get this bill to the floor once again. I thank all the Members
whose districts this will benefit for their hard work.
Ms. SIMON. Mr. Speaker, I have no speakers. I reserve the balance of
my time.
Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Wyoming (Ms. Hageman).
Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 672 to designate
single, unique ZIP Codes for communities across the United States.
H.R. 672, which includes the community of Mills, Wyoming, would
resolve longstanding issues that have continually impacted a host of
services, ranging from the delivery of mail to confusion for the local
fire department and utilities providers, while also complicating
economic development.
With mail ZIP Code designation intertwined with Casper, Wyoming, the
city has struggled with timely mail delivery, loss of property tax
revenue and franchise fees, and incorrect Census counts. Each of these
issues poses significant challenges for Mills as it continues to grow,
develop, and attract new residents across Wyoming and beyond.
Passage of this bill will go a long way to correct this oversight,
not only for Mills but for communities nationwide.
The city of Mills has been a tireless advocate for this legislation,
and I am immensely proud to be a cosponsor.
I thank Representative Diaz-Balart and Chairman Comer for their
steadfast leadership on this critically important issue, and I support
this legislation to resolve these issues for my constituents in Mills.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 672.
Ms. SIMON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time, and I am
prepared to close.
Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage, and I yield back the balance
of my time.
Ms. SIMON. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this bill, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 672, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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