Suffolk Reporter

Rep. Nick LaLota of Suffolk County has announced his support for the passage of H.R. 8753, a bipartisan bill aimed at assigning unique ZIP Codes to Riverside, Northampton, and Flanders in Suffolk County. LaLota, who co-sponsored the bill, expressed satisfaction with its progress.

“The passage of today’s bill moves the communities of Riverside, Northampton, and Flanders closer to achieving long-overdue fairness,” said LaLota. “For far too long, residents of these communities have faced unnecessary hardships due to the absence of unique ZIP Codes—resulting in misdelivered mail, delayed medications, and lost packages. This simple yet impactful change will greatly enhance postal reliability and everyday convenience. I remain steadfast in my commitment to ensuring every Long Islander receives the resources, services, and recognition they deserve.”

The initiative targets 46 communities nationwide that would benefit from this legislative change. The ZIP Code system was originally implemented by the United States Postal Service (USPS) in the 1960s to improve mail delivery efficiency as population numbers increased. However, since ZIP Codes were assigned based on USPS operational needs rather than geographic boundaries, some areas have experienced significant issues.

Communities without unique ZIP Codes often face problems such as misdelivered mail and delays in receiving critical items like medications. Although small towns can request new ZIP Codes from USPS, approvals are infrequent and denied requests cannot be appealed for a decade. Congress has occasionally stepped in to address these issues by enacting new ZIP Codes through legislation like the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006.