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Dear Friend,
After another busy week in Congress, I’m back home in eastern Connecticut. Here with an update on addressing a serious zip code issue for Scotland, celebrating new U.S. Army servicemembers, and lots more. Thanks for starting your weekend here with me.
Discussing the Latest News and Issues in a Live Telephone Town Hall
First this week, a big thanks to the over 5,000 people who joined my telephone town hall on Wednesday. We discussed some of the top issues for eastern Connecticut and the nation. Listen to the recording below.
Top of mind on Wednesday evening was the record job growth in eastern Connecticut – the Norwich-New London area is the fastest-growing job market in our state and the second fastest in New England. In Congress, I’m laser-focused on ensuring that growth continues in 2024 and beyond.
Another pressing concern we discussed during the town hall was immigration and the chaotic situation at our southern border. Last month, Congress finally acted to provide more resources to the Border Patrol through a bipartisan budget which will help hire more Border Patrol officers and strengthen fentanyl detection.
Earlier this year, we had a golden opportunity to deliver comprehensive border security through a bipartisan negotiated deal, which was endorsed by the Border Patrol Union. Unfortunately, the bill was immediately squelched by Republicans in the House. They prevented us from voting on it after former President Trump told them to kill the bill.
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| Earlier this year, Rep. Courtney visited the El Paso Border crossing – his third visit to the border during his time in Congress. He spoke with Border Patrol officers who were overwhelmed, understaffed and forced to work long hours with severely limited screening technology. |
I will continue working with my colleagues whenever and wherever possible to bring order to the border, provide a fair, fast, and final pathway to citizenship for immigrants and ensure communities with an influx of immigrants have enough resources.
Working to Give Scotland a Single Zip Code
With a population just under 1,600, Scotland is the second smallest town in the Second District and the fifth smallest in our state. Despite this, it currently has six different zip codes. Compare that to Enfield, a town of over 42,000 people, which has two zip codes. This is ridiculous and for years, it's caused serious issues for Scotland.
Today, I joined Scotland residents, Town officials, and Senator Chris Murphy to discuss the action we are taking in Congress to fix this.
The impacts of Scotland's six zip codes are widespread. It has prevented adequate record keeping, hampered basic town operations, and essential mail services. In the 2022 election, there was a massive number of undeliverable absentee ballot applications from Scotland, and during the 2020 census, the town had the highest undeliverable rate in the Second District for census questionnaires.
Back in 2020, my office worked with Scotland to submit an inquiry about the zip code issue to the U.S. Postal Service.
Now, Sen. Murphy and I have introduced bills in the House and the Senate to mandate a single zip code for Scotland.
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| Rep. Courtney, former First Selectman Gary Greenberg, and Sen. Murphy display a box of absentee ballot applications that were sent back to Scotland as undeliverable. |
Thank you to the Town of Scotland, former First Selectman Gary Greenberg, First Selectman Dan Barrow, and former Scotland Post Office Postmaster Charlene Perry for joining us today and for their work and advocacy to fix this issue for the great town of Scotland.
Celebrating New Servicemembers in Storrs
On Monday, I joined UConn ROTC for the commissioning of 17 outstanding new Second Lieutenants into the U.S. Army, the National Guard, and the Army Reserves.
May is Military Appreciation Month, a fitting time to celebrate new servicemembers, taking an oath to support and defend the greatest nation on earth. Congratulations, new Lieutenants!
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| Rep. Courtney speaks at the UConn ROTC Commissioning Ceremony for new Second Lieutenants Jill Blocher, Jackson Bright (Spring 2024 Cadet Commander) Eric Hwang, Heri Mulungula, Christopher Paier, Joseph Ryan, Geoffrey Takacs, Erin Donnolly (Voth), Nicolas Whelan, Alexander Bluestein, Olivia Bowes, Nathan Deptula, Andre Kudla, Logan Prentiss, Luis Veras, Ryan McGinnis, and Spencer Wesley. |
Helping Farmers Access Freight Rail Shipments
Farms in eastern Connecticut and across the country operate with slim margins and fluctuating operation costs. I’m committed to helping our local farms seize opportunities to grow their businesses.
Last Friday, Connecticut Commission of Agriculture Bryan Hurlburt and I visited Hillandale Farms in Franklin, a family-owned egg producer, to discuss how access to freight rail has allowed them to receive grain from the Midwest at a low cost.
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| Rep. Courtney joined Hillandale Farm Director of Finance Tracy Kingsley, Senior Director of Operations Ed Hoffman, Feed Mill Manager Melissa Jenkins, Director of Supply Chain Zack Young, Consultant Jerry Kil, CT Commissioner of Agriculture Bryan Hurlburt, CT State Sentor Cathy Osten, and President of the CT Farm Bureau Paul Larson for a tour of Hillandale Farm's grain feed mills. |
Freight rail can be a cost effective and reliable shipment intake method for farmers. While rail lines are present in many parts of the country, they are underused and often unusable because farmers lack access to the needed infrastructure and equipment to unload shipments off of trains.
In Congress, I’m working to improve Department of Agriculture grant programs that provide federal funding to states, towns, and local organizations to build out freight rail infrastructure and make it more accessible for farmers.
Thank you to Hillandale Farms for welcoming us to hear more about the importance of freight rail for farmers.
Thank you for taking some time to read my update. If we can be of any assistance, don't hesitate to give my Norwich office a call at (860) 886-0139. Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Joe Courtney
Member of Congress
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