House Democrats introduced a bill to establish a commission with the power to redesignate the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Headquarters Building to reflect “racial, ethnic, and gender diversity.”
The bill would establish a ‘‘National Commission on Renaming the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Headquarters Building’’ that would “review” building’s current designation and “provide recommendations on the redesignation of such building.”
The Washington, D.C. building is currently named after J. Edgar Hoover, who served as the first director of the FBI and held the position for nearly half a century. And the six-page bill provides no explanation as to why Hoover’s name should be scrubbed from the building.
The bill, introduced by Rep. Gerry Connolly, outlines the criteria for the process, “ensuring that such redesignation reflects […] racial, ethnic, and gender diversity.”
“The mission and values of the FBI” and the “values of the United States Constitution” are also included as criteria if the commission decides the building ought to be renamed.
The commission would be composed of eight members: two people appointed by the president, two people appointed by the Senate Majority Leader, one person appointed by the Senate Minority Leader, two people appointed by the Speaker of the House, and one person appointed by the Minority Leader of the House.
“Each member of the Commission shall have expertise in the history of the Federal Government or social justice issues,” notes the bill, which has been referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure since its February introduction.
“Not later than 30 days after the Commission submits the final report pursuant to section 5(b), the Director of the FBI shall determine whether to redesignate the J. Edgar Hoover F.B.I. Building in accordance with the recommendations of the Commission,” the bill explains.
