This bill renames the United States Postal Service facility at 12208 North 19th Avenue in Phoenix, Arizona, the "Officer Zane T. Coolidge Post Office." It contains a short references clause that makes any existing federal law, map, regulation, or record that mentions the facility be treated as referring to the new name.
The measure is narrowly focused and purely nominal: it does not authorize spending, change ownership, alter delivery operations, or modify ZIP codes. Its main practical effects are administrative — signage, database updates, and the formalization of the new name in federal records and legal references.
At a Glance
What It Does
Statutorily assigns a new, commemorative name to a specific USPS facility in Phoenix and directs that federal references to the facility be read as references to the new name. The bill contains no language authorizing appropriations or operational changes for the Postal Service.
Who It Affects
The USPS (for signage and internal records), federal agencies and mapmakers that maintain databases, and the local Phoenix community that uses or references the facility. Family members, law enforcement groups, and local civic organizations will see the name formalized in federal records.
Why It Matters
Although ceremonial, the statute creates a permanent federal record and legal alias for the building, which matters for official documents, memorialization, and public signage. It also triggers modest administrative tasks — updating databases, maps, and physical signage — without changing service delivery.
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What This Bill Actually Does
The bill consists of a short statutory declaration that the postal facility located at 12208 North 19th Avenue in Phoenix shall be known as the "Officer Zane T. Coolidge Post Office." That single declarative sentence is the operative act: it changes the formal, statutory name used in federal references for that specific building.
The statute then adds a references clause making clear that any mention of the facility in laws, maps, regulations, documents, papers, or other United States records is to be treated as a reference to the new name. That clause functions as a drafting shortcut — it avoids requiring Congress or other federal bodies to amend each document that currently uses the facility's prior name.Practically, the measure is a nominal change.
It does not include appropriation language, nor does it alter USPS responsibilities, property ownership, postal routes, ZIP codes, or staffing. Implementation will therefore be administrative: the Postal Service will update its signage and internal records, and external entities that catalogue federal facilities will update databases and published maps.Because the bill's text is narrowly confined to naming and references, the legal footprint is limited.
The change is permanent in federal records once enacted, but it creates no new regulatory regime, no compliance obligations beyond updating references, and no deadlines or detailed implementation instructions for how agencies must effect the name change.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The bill designates the USPS facility at 12208 North 19th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona, as the "Officer Zane T. Coolidge Post Office.", It includes a references clause stating that any federal law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other United States record that refers to the facility shall be deemed to refer to the new name.
The text includes no appropriation or funding authorization; it does not require new spending for signage or other changes.
The statute does not change USPS operations, property ownership, delivery routes, or ZIP codes — it affects naming and references only.
Representative Abraham Hamadeh introduced the bill (H.R. 3393) with several Arizona colleagues listed as original cosponsors.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
Every bill we cover gets an analysis of its key sections.
Designation of the facility name
This subsection contains the operative naming instruction: it declares that the facility at the specified Phoenix address shall be known and designated by the new commemorative name. For implementation, this creates a statutory name that federal agencies and the Postal Service will use in official contexts. It does not, however, specify implementation steps, a funding source, or a timeline for changing physical signage.
References clause — alias for federal records
This provision says that any reference in federal laws, maps, regulations, documents, papers, or records to the facility described in subsection (a) shall be treated as a reference to the new name. The practical effect is to avoid piecemeal statutory amendments across the U.S. Code and other federal instruments; it automatically carries the new name into existing federal references without rewriting them. The clause is narrowly tailored to naming and does not purport to alter substantive legal rights or obligations tied to the property.
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Explore Government in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- Family and colleagues of Officer Zane T. Coolidge — the designation creates a lasting federal memorial and public recognition tied to a specific location.
- Local community groups and constituents in Phoenix — they gain a named public landmark that can be used for commemorations and civic events.
- Law enforcement organizations and veterans groups — they receive a formal federal acknowledgement that can aid in remembrance and local outreach efforts.
Who Bears the Cost
- United States Postal Service — responsible for updating signage, stationery, internal systems, and public-facing information; those costs are typically absorbed within USPS operating budgets.
- Federal agencies and map/data vendors — must update databases, maps, and publications that reference the facility, incurring administrative time and minor data-change costs.
- Local businesses, nonprofits, or government offices that reference the old facility name in materials — they may need to revise printed or digital content to reflect the new official name.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The central dilemma is between honoring an individual through a permanent federal naming and keeping public resources focused on core government functions: the bill achieves symbolic recognition with minimal legal change, but it imposes dispersed administrative work and modest costs on USPS and other actors without allocating funds, and it sets a precedent that adding commemorative names carries cumulative maintenance burdens.
The bill resolves the naming question cleanly but leaves implementation details unspecified. Because it provides no funding, the Postal Service will use existing resources to update signage and records; the scale of those costs is likely small but not zero, and they fall to USPS operations budgets.
The references clause prevents the need for broad statutory revision, but it implicitly shifts the work of harmonizing public records to agencies and private database maintainers.
A narrower legal risk worth noting is the potential for ambiguity in legacy documents that use informal or partial facility descriptions. The clause covers federal laws, maps, regulations, documents, papers, and records, but it does not speak to state or local instruments; organizations maintaining mixed-jurisdiction datasets must make parallel updates.
The statute also does not specify an effective date or transitional procedure, so practical questions — which entity updates which record first, what signage standard to use, and whether to offer a commemorative plaque or ceremony funded separately — are left to the Postal Service and local stakeholders.
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