To direct the United States Postal Service to designate single, unique ZIP Codes for certain communities, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman so much for yielding. Mr. Comer has been an amazing advocate in helping get this bill over the line once again. I am proud to stand here today and explain why this piece of legislation is so important.

I rise with a deep sense of purpose and conviction to advocate for the passage of H.R. 3095, a commonsense, bipartisan bill that directs the United States Postal Service to designate a single unique ZIP Code for specific communities across our great Nation, including 15 in my home State of Colorado.

This legislation is not just about postal efficiency. It is about fairness, public safety, community identity, and ensuring that every town and city in America has the tools it needs to thrive.

When the ZIP Code system was first introduced in 1963, it was a revolutionary step toward modernizing mail delivery and streamlining operations for a rapidly growing nation.

At the time, the United States Postal Service envisioned ZIP Codes as a simple tool to improve sorting and delivery, but over the decades ZIP Codes have evolved into far more than postal convenience. They have become integral to how we navigate modern life.

Economic developers rely on ZIP Codes to attract businesses and plan growth. Insurance companies use them to calculate premiums. Emergency responders depend on them to locate homes and businesses in moments of crisis. Even in our online shopping, our navigation systems are built around the assumption that every community has a clear, unique ZIP Code.

Yet for too many towns and cities across America, this basic building block of modern infrastructure remains out of reach.

Mr. Speaker, in my home State of Colorado, I have heard from my constituents who face daily frustration because they share ZIP Codes with neighboring towns.

These are not abstract problems. They affect real people in tangible ways.

Severance, Colorado, is a town of 11,500 people in Weld County, yet they have six ZIP Codes that they correlate with.

Imagine a family who is waiting anxiously for an ambulance only to learn that the first responders were dispatched to the wrong town because of a shared ZIP Code. Picture a small business owner in Castle Pines, Colorado, working tirelessly to grow their company and losing critical deliveries and customers due to misdirected mail or wasting time applying for a permit with the wrong municipality.

Consider the frustration of residents in towns like Silver Cliff, Colorado, who are overcharged for insurance because their ZIP Code inaccurately places them in a higher risk area.

Think of the local government already stretched thin that loses millions of dollars in vital sales tax revenue because transactions are mistakenly attributed to neighboring jurisdictions.

These challenges are not unique to Colorado. Across the Nation, over 65 communities, from rural communities to growing suburbs, are struggling with these same issues. Governors, mayors, town boards, and everyday citizens have raised their voices pleading for a solution. They are not asking for handouts or special favors. They are asking for the basic recognition of their community's existence, that they matter, and that they deserve the same tools for success as their neighbors.

H.R. 3095 answers that call with a direct and practical solution. This bill directs the United States Postal Service to assign unique ZIP Codes to each community, empowering them to better serve their residents, strengthen their local identities, and streamline their operations.

A unique ZIP Code is more than a number. It is a lifeline. It supports infrastructure planning by providing accurate data for economic development. It reduces mail inconsistencies, ensuring that packages and letters arrive where they are intended.

Seniors and veterans have suffered vital and lifesaving medication delays just because they were lost in the mail, which is entirely unacceptable and preventable. It enhances public safety by helping emergency responders locate those in need without delay, and it ensures that local governments receive the tax revenue they are rightfully owed allowing them to invest in schools, roads, and community services.

The current process for obtaining a new ZIP Code is, frankly, broken. Communities must navigate a labyrinth of bureaucratic hurdles, submitting petitions to the USPS that are rarely approved. If their petition is denied, then they are forced to wait up to 10 years before they can even reapply, 10 years, Mr. Speaker.

That is 10 years of lost opportunities, 10 years of misdirected mail, and 10 years of unnecessary risks to public safety.

This is not the kind of government our constituents expect or deserve. They expect us to solve problems, not extend them.

H.R. 3095 cuts through this red tape with a clear directive to the Postal Service to assign unique ZIP Codes to these deserving communities.

This bill is not about creating a new bureaucracy or imposing heavy- handed mandates. It is about empowering local governments and residents to take control of their future. It is about ensuring that every community, no matter how small, has a seat at the table and a voice in our Nation's progress.

I am proud to say that this bill has bipartisan support. This bill was passed out of the House in the previous Congress, and it will pass again. Republicans and Democrats alike recognize the importance of this issue. Mayors, town councils, and community leaders from across the political spectrum have rallied behind H.R. 3095, united by a shared commitment to fairness and efficiency. Government efficiency is not something that we hear a lot of.

This is not a partisan issue, it is an American issue, and it is one that goes beyond political divides and speaks to our shared values of community, opportunity, and, again, progress.

As we consider this bill, let us reflect on what it means to represent our constituents. They sent us here to listen

to their concerns, to hear from them, to fight for their needs, and to deliver results.

The communities affected by H.R. 3095 have asked for our help, and it is our duty to respond. By passing this bill today, we can send a powerful message that no town is too small to be heard, that no community is too small to be overlooked or to matter, and that we are committed to building a stronger and more equitable nation for all.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3095. Let us give these communities and the millions of Americans the representation, the recognition, the resources, and the respect that they rightfully deserve. Let us ensure that every town has the tools it needs to thrive, from accurate mail delivery to reliable emergency services to robust economic growth.

This is a moment to act with purpose.

Let's be the bridge that heals this divide and make a meaningful difference in the lives of our constituents.

Mr. Speaker, by receiving a unique ZIP Code, these communities will hold on to more of their tax revenue, improve the response times of first responders, and minimize issues with the postal delivery to incorrect addresses.

I have been honored to lead on this issue. It has been a passion of mine for the past 5 years, and I hope that we can finally get this signed into law. Maybe we were waiting all along for President Donald J. Trump's signature on this bill.

I thank Chairman Comer for his support of this, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 3095.

Madam Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 3095, a bill that would assign a new ZIP Code to the city of Green, a municipality within Ohio's 13th Congressional District.

Establishing unique ZIP Codes may not be what most folks think about when they are considering Federal legislation; however, for the citizens and businesses and the economy of the city of Green, Ohio, it is, in fact, a matter of importance and priority.

During the Green State of the City Address earlier this year, Mayor Rocco Yeargin proclaimed that he would actively engage toward working to get the city of Green a unique ZIP Code. I promised the mayor at the State of the City Address that I would work with him hand-in-hand after several unsuccessful attempts to do so. We are now closer to that reality upon the passage of H.R. 3095.

The city of Green currently operates under five different ZIP Codes, none of which bear the city's name. This situation has led to confusion, lost tax dollars, and a diminished sense of unity among residents and businesses. Aligning the ZIP Code designation within the city's name will enhance community cohesion and promote a stronger civic identity.

When ZIP Codes were first assigned for this area, Green was a township, mostly farmland and a few businesses, and fewer than 10,000 residents. In 1992, Green was incorporated as a city.

Now, 30-plus years later, its population has nearly tripled. It is the home of more than 1,200 businesses and is the fastest growing city in Summit County.

Community members, elected leaders, and local businesses have all expressed their overwhelming support for a single ZIP Code reflecting the city's name.

The current multitude of ZIP Codes creates obstacles for these 1,200 businesses, including confusion for customers and suppliers about their location and challenges in daily transactions like assigning sales tax due to a ZIP Code with a name designated to a separate county--not even a separate city, a separate county.

In fact, Green identified $614,000 in unpaid taxes alone in 2023 attributed to this problem. This is an issue that community leaders, residents, businesses, and more have expressed their overwhelming support for: a ZIP Code for the city of Green. They have attempted to work with the USPS to no avail, and so now we are here with legislation.

I understand the procedural challenges that have plagued this bill, but I do ask that the Members of this body not punish my constituents for those committee issues. I ask my colleagues in Congress to join me in support of this bill to ensure that the city of Green receives the designation it deserves with a single, unique ZIP Code that bears its name.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3095 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 specific community concerns about disrupted mail delivery and undeliverable mail. While I commend Representative Boebert for her tireless work on this issue, I am unable to support this legislation at this time.

After numerous conversations between the chair and former ranking member, the late Mr. Connolly, the committee agreed on a bipartisan basis that ZIP Code designation bills would only be considered if they met the following criteria: One, the designated locality must submit a letter from local leadership stating the reasons for the ZIP Code change; two, the community must also attest that they had petitioned the Postal Service for the unique ZIP Code designation and was unsuccessful; and, lastly, number three, that the legislation must be cosponsored by all of the impacted Members.

Unfortunately, the bill has not satisfied the committee's requirement for consideration. In fact, only one-quarter of the 68 designated communities meet the Committee's requirements, and we have heard from at least one affected Member who is, unfortunately, opposed.

Therefore, until the majority follows the procedures set forth by this ZIP Code designation bill, the ranking member will oppose the bill today in its current form.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Sykes) for such time as she may consume.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, the ranking member opposes this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3095) to direct the United States Postal Service to designate single, unique ZIP Codes for certain communities, and for other purposes, as amended.

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.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the Postal Service structures the delivery of mail around ZIP Codes, five-digit numbers that organize how to deliver the mail. There are currently over 41,000 ZIP Codes in the United States. While ZIP Codes are usually aligned with local boundaries, this is sometimes not the case.

H.R. 3095 creates new ZIP Codes for local communities listed in the bill and will help address concerns raised by these localities.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the bill's sponsor and my colleague on the House Oversight Committee, the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. Boebert), for leading this legislation. She has been a tireless advocate for these communities represented in the bill, and I appreciate her hard work and dedication.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 10 minutes to the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. Boebert), who is the sponsor of the bill.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Harris).

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim).

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the Boebert bill. I urge its passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Earlier this year, Mayor Jim Bell of Weddington, North Carolina, reached out to me to let me know that the city had a problem. Having different ZIP Codes across a single city has caused confusion about where residents file property taxes or even show up to vote.

Concerned about how this problem might continue to compound, my office was able to work together with Representative Boebert to ensure that Weddington is included in today's legislation requesting a single, unique ZIP Code.

Representing my constituents has been the honor of a lifetime, and I have learned that there is no issue too great or too small that I can't champion for North Carolinians, whether it is casting my vote for a once-in-a-generation tax reform bill like the One Big Beautiful Bill Act or today's ZIP Code update, it is my mission to be a voice that responds to the needs of my constituents.

I stand here today, Madam Speaker, to urge support for this package to ensure that communities across this country can have the clarity that they absolutely deserve.