H.R. 4722, To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 111 Market Street in Saugerties, New York, as the “Maurice D. Hinchey Post Office Building"
Floor Situation
On Monday, May 7, 2018, the House will consider H.R. 4722, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 111 Market Street in Saugerties, New York, as the “Maurice D. Hinchey Post Office Building,” under suspension of the rules. This bill was introduced on December 21, 2017 by Rep. John Faso (R-NY) and was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which ordered the bill reported by unanimous consent on March 15, 2018.
Summary
H.R. 4722 designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 111 Market Street in Saugerties, New York, as the “Maurice D. Hinchey Post Office Building.”
Background
Congressman Maurice D. Hinchey was a well-respected lawmaker who served nine terms in the New York State Assembly and ten terms in the U.S. House of Representatives before retiring in 2013. A lifelong New Yorker, Mr. Hinchey was born on October 27, 1938 to a working-class family in Lower Manhattan and was raised in the Town of Saugerties. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, where he served from 1956-59 and spent time in the Pacific on the destroyer U.S.S. Marshall. Upon receiving an honorable discharge, Hinchey put himself through college working blue-collar jobs such as a cement plant laborer and night-shift toll collector. He enrolled in the State University of New York (SUNY) at New Paltz and went on to earn a master’s degree there. Additionally, he completed advanced graduate work in public administration and economics at the State University of New York at Albany.
In 1975, at the age of 37, Mr. Hinchey launched his political career as a state assemblyman, and in four short years he became Chairman of the Assembly’s Environmental Conservation Committee until 1992 when he was elected to Congress. While serving on the State Conservation Committee, Mr. Hinchey conducted an investigation into the unfinished Love Canal in upstate New York, which had been converted into the first major toxic dump site in the United States. Mr. Hinchey’s perseverance and the disclosures attained from this oversight led to the evacuation of hundreds of families, putting the national spotlight on toxic waste. As a state lawmaker, Mr. Hinchey also aided the passage of the first law in the United States that addressed regulations related to acid rain. As an avid supporter of the environment, he assisted in the preservation and cleanup of the Hudson River, while also spending over a decade of his life dedicated to halting organized crime’s control of the waste-hauling industry.
Mr. Hinchey served two decades in Congress representing New York’s 22nd Congressional District, which spread over eight counties from the Hudson Valley to the Finger Lakes. Countless individuals in New York State and across the country knew Maurice to be a friend and an impassioned public servant. On November 23rd, 2017, Mr. Hinchey passed away at his home in Saugerties, New York. He is survived by his wife, Allison Lee, in Hurley, New York, and his three adult children.
Cost
A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate is not currently available; however, CBO has previously estimated that enacting legislation of this kind would have no significant impact on the federal budget.
Staff Contact
For questions or further information please contact Ryan Hofmann with the House Republican Policy Committee by email or at 2-6674.