Congress·In Committee·H.R. 7220

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.

Jan 22·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Next up: A house committee

This bill is currently sitting in the House committees where it was sent in January 2026. Nothing has happened with the bill for about five months. It is not moving forward at this time because it needs committee members to take action before it can go any further.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

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.'

Civil RightsCriminal Justice

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

How this policy affects specific groups of people

Mixed Impacts(1)

Federal Employee

Neutral

Creates a new Review Board with staff positions, and renames FBI headquarters, but also requires agencies to produce and disclose records.

Broader Impacts

DomainScoreShort-termLong-termReversibilityConfidence

Score

Scores: -5 (harmful) to +5 (beneficial)Short-term: 0-2 yearsLong-term: 10-30 years

State Impacts

District of ColumbiaDC

Mixed

The J. Edgar Hoover Building in DC would be renamed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Federal Building.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jan 22, 2026House

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.

Jan 22, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

Related News

4 articles

The Hill·Jan 26

Task 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.

Center

JFK Facts·Jan 24

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.

Targeted News Service·Feb 5

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.

Center

No votes or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

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.

Bill NumberHR 7220

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred 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.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(2)

D: 2

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.