COINTELPRO Full Disclosure Act
Congress Proposes Releasing Secret FBI Records on Civil Rights Era Surveillance
To require the public disclosure of COINTELPRO records, to establish a COINTELPRO Records Collection, and to establish the COINTELPRO Records Review Board, and for other purposes.
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- This bill, introduced by Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, would require the government to release all secret records from a 1950s-era FBI program called COINTELPRO. This program was used to illegally spy on, discredit, and disrupt American political groups, civil rights leaders, and advocacy organizations.
- Most of these documents would be made public within six months. A new collection would be created at the National Archives so anyone can look at them, and the government would be required to digitize these files and put them online so they are easy for the public to search.
- A new independent board of five experts, including historians and lawyers, would be formed to oversee the release of these records. This board would have the power to order the production of documents and hold hearings to make sure government agencies are not hiding information without a very good reason.
- While the goal is total transparency, some information could stay secret if it would put someone's life in danger or significantly hurt national security. However, the bill requires that almost everything be fully released within 25 years, and it requires the government to notify victims or their families before their files are made public.
- The bill would also change the name of the FBI's headquarters in Washington, D.C. It would no longer be named after J. Edgar Hoover, the director who started the surveillance program, and would instead be renamed the 'Federal Bureau of Investigation Federal Building.'
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
Broader Impacts
State Impacts
Milestones
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
4 articlesTask force holds hearing on declassification of Martin Luther King Jr. records
Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets Chairwoman Anna Paulina Luna opened a hearing focused on the release of federal records related to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., where Rep. Summer Lee announced the introduction of the COINTELPRO Full Disclosure Act.
House Task Force Breaks New Ground on MLK Assassination Records
Rep. Summer Lee (D-Penn.) announced the introduction of the COINTELPRO Full Disclosure Act during a hearing on MLK records. The bill would require the public disclosure of all COINTELPRO records and establish a review board to ensure agencies comply with transparency mandates.
ACLU Testifies on Need for Accountability in Government Surveillance Records
Kia Hamadanchy of the ACLU testified before the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, highlighting the 'darkest abuses' of COINTELPRO and supporting legislative efforts to ensure the full truth of government surveillance is part of the national record.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
To require the public disclosure of COINTELPRO records, to establish a COINTELPRO Records Collection, and to establish the COINTELPRO Records Review Board, and for other purposes.
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
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