83R6500 LB-D
By: Bell H.C.R. No. 71
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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.