Jul 15, 2016 4:58 PM

U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin is still pushing for a new zip code for the hamlets of Flanders, Riverside and Northampton, introducing a bill this week that comes nearly eight months after the U.S. Postal Service’s postmaster rejected his request.

Mr. Zeldin said he introduced his bipartisan bill, dubbed the Postal Service Reform Act of 2016, earlier this week in the House of Representatives. In addition to creating a new zip code the tri-hamlet area, the bill seeks to reform the entire postal system, including increasing the costs for shipping packages in order to lower the U.S. Postal Service’s operating deficit. On Tuesday night, the bill passed from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, meaning it is now eligible to be brought to the House floor for a vote.

Presently, the three hamlets in northwestern Southampton Town continue to share a zip code, 11901, with the Town of Riverhead. Due to the size of that town, and the widespread use of similar and identical street names, mail is often delivered to the wrong recipients. Presently, there are 18 identical street names and 32 similar street names shared between the three hamlets and the Town of Riverhead.

If approved, the bill will require that the new zip code be created no later than September 30, 2017. The proposed law does not include a suggested zip code for Flanders, Riverside and Northampton.

“For residents of these three hamlets, this has been a top priority for several years,” Mr. Zeldin said in a prepared statement on Wednesday. “The overlapping zip codes in Flanders, Riverside, and Northampton with Riverhead has caused many issues, including delayed deliveries, which is not just a nuisance to the local community, but can greatly impact quality of life, especially when the packages hold important goods like critical, life-altering medications.

“The shared street names and zip codes within the towns can also cause major problems for police, first responders, and other emergency personnel, who may arrive at the wrong address due to these shared street names with the same zip code,” Mr. Zeldin continued. “These kinds of mistakes and problems can all be avoided by assigning a new and unique zip code to Flanders, Riverside, and Northampton.”

He added that he intends to work with his colleagues in Washington, D.C., so the bill is approved before the end of the year.

Flanders, Riverside and Northampton Community Association President Ron Fisher said he is thrilled that Mr. Zeldin is continuing the fight, noting that the congressman has found two other communities—one in Nevada and another in Florida—with the same problem. The bill, he added, would address all three issues.

“It is really encouraging for us that he didn’t give up on us when he first got the no,” Mr. Fisher said on Wednesday. “He kept fighting for us, just like he said he would.”