Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) reintroduced legislation to rename the FBI Headquarters and remove any reference to J. Edgar Hoover. Connolly previously introduced the legislation in the 116th and 117th Congresses.
“It’s long past time to rename the FBI Headquarters,” said Connolly. “J. Edgar Hoover was a racist, a bigot, and a homophobe. He abused his power and trampled the civil liberties of Dr. King, anti-war protesters, his political rivals, and too many others. He is no role model for any time, and certainly not this one. Congress must right this wrong and rename this building.”
The National Commission on Renaming the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Headquarters Building Act would establish a commission to review the name of the FBI Headquarters and provide recommendations on the redesignation in accordance with the following criteria:
- Reflecting the mission and values of the FBI; racial, ethnic, and gender diversity; and the values of the US constitution
- Serving as an inspiration to FBI employees and US citizens
- Honoring living persons when appropriate and in exceptional cases
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The Commission would include 9 members with expertise in U.S. Government history or social justice issues:
- 2 appointed by POTUS in consultation with the Attorney General and FBI Director
- 2 appointed by Senate Majority Leader
- 1 appointed by Senate Minority Leader
- 2 appointed by Speaker of the House
- 1 appointed by House Minority Leader
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In addition, the Commission shall submit a report on the results of the review and any recommendations related to the redesignation of the Hoover building within 180 days of enactment. The FBI director shall determine whether to redesignate the building in accordance with the commission’s recommendations. If not, the Director must explain the reason for such determination in a report to Congress.
Full text of the legislation is available here.
