TITLE: Urging the United States Congress to request that the U.S. Postmaster General designate a ZIP code that includes all properties within the city of Prairie View.

SUMMARY: Urging the United States Congress to request that the U.S. Postmaster General designate a ZIP code that includes all properties within the city of Prairie View.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Prairie View, Texas, lacks its own ZIP code, causing a number of problems for area residents and businesses, as well as for city government; and WHEREAS, Only one address in the city--the U.S. Post Office located on the campus of Prairie View A&M University--has a Prairie View-specific ZIP code; all other locations within Prairie View proper, from the perspective of the U.S. Post Office, belong to either Waller or Hempstead; and WHEREAS, It is possible for Prairie View residents and businesses to receive mail to the Prairie View ZIP code only if they purchase a post office box at the PVAMU post office; in other words, they are forced to choose between direct delivery to their physical location or delivery to an address that correctly reflects their municipal location; or, like Prairie View City Hall, they can choose to manage both a physical address and a mailing address; and WHEREAS, This arrangement, wherein Prairie View residents and businesses have Waller or Hempstead addresses, has caused a number of unintended consequences; for one, it has dangerous ramifications for the efficiency of local emergency services; police, fire, and emergency medical services squads have all reported confusion with the current system, which does not correspond with municipal boundaries; and WHEREAS, The United States Census Bureau has also reported problems, as many questionnaires for Prairie View residents were incorrectly delivered to Waller and Hempstead; moreover, critical official City of Prairie View mail is often sent to the City of Hempstead or the City of Waller, and additionally, citizens regularly express confusion about their correct address and how it relates to their polling location; and WHEREAS, In accordance with the United States Postal Service ZIP Code Boundary Review Process, the City of Prairie View has requested the creation of a ZIP code that includes all properties within its corporate limits, a change that would greatly benefit Prairie View residents, businesses, and city government; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to request that the Postmaster General designate a ZIP code that includes all properties within the city of Prairie View; and, be it further RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.