House OKs bill to rename post office after Guillén
Lawmaker calls honor at facility near where slain soldier grew up in southeast Houston a way ‘to memorialize her work and legacy’
A bill to rename a southeast Houston post office after slain Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday.
The measure — introduced by Guillén’s representative, Democrat Sylvia Garcia, in January — was debated on the House floor Tuesday and was approved Wednesday afternoon, according to Garcia’s office.
“As members of Congress we have the moral obligation to honor Vanessa’s memory and enact change that will end violence in our military (institutions). Her story has captivated Americans of all backgrounds and brought muchneeded attention to sexual assault in the military, and it has led to changes being implemented at Fort Hood and in military bases throughout the nation, and in fact the world,” Garcia said on the House floor Tuesday.
“I will not rest until there is justice for Vanessa Guillén and her family. There is still much work to be done, but the naming of a post office in her memory ... would be but a small gesture on the part of this Congress ... to memorialize her work and her legacy,” Garcia said.
The southeast Houston native was killed in 2020 by a fellow soldier whose sexual harassment of Guillén was ignored by the Army, advocates say. Renaming the post office, an important and visible landmark in the area where she grew up, is a fitting tribute to Guillén’s legacy, her sister Mayra said.
“It’s an honor to see my sister’s legacy keep growing, especially here in Houston where she was born and raised before she decided to serve and protect her country,” Mayra Guillén said.
The post office is at 5302 Galveston Road.
Vanessa Guillén’s death spurred historic reforms in how the military handles reports of sexual assault and other crimes, and the 20-year-old has been honored across the country with murals and songs. Mayra is proud of the advancements that have been made in her sister’s name, but she said there’s more work to be done, especially when it comes to sexual harassment in the military.
She said Wednesday that the family plans to continue advocating for the Sexual Harassment Independent Investigations and Prosecutions Act, a House bill meant to crack down on sexual harassment in the military that was introduced by Democratic California Rep. Jackie Speier in April.
“I see this as the momentum continuing to grow, and it’s very important because there are more things to do,” Mayra said.
“I will not rest until there is justice for Vanessa Guillén and her family.” Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, who introduced a bill to rename a local post office for the slain soldier