PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Oversight and Government Reform, 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.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36] · D–CA
Legislative record
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Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Oversight and Government Reform, 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.
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Oversight and Government Reform, 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.
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Oversight and Government Reform, 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.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 24, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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Analyze H.R.10055 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-08-06 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Congressional Authorization for Federal Building Names Act would require an express law enacted by Congress to rename federally administered property whose name was assigned by federal statute. This would cover buildings, geographic features and other real property. Politically appointed federal officers and employees could face criminal penalties for willfully displaying an incorrect name on covered property or renaming it without prior statutory authorization. The proposed criminal amendment would take effect January 1, 2027.
This Act may be cited as the Congressional Authorization for Federal Building Names Act.
Federal property may not be renamed or redesignated except through a provision of law enacted by Congress that expressly renames or redesignates such property.
the term Federal property means any feature (including a geographic or administrative feature), building (including a public building as defined in section 3301 of title 40), or other real property or interest in real property— (1) administered by a Federal agency; and (2) the name of which is designated or otherwise assigned by Federal statute.
Any covered officer or employee who willfully displays an incorrect name of a unit of Federal property on such property or renames a unit of Federal property without prior statutory authorization shall be subject to the following:
The term covered officer or employee means an officer or employee of the Federal Government that is politically appointed, including an officer or employee appointed to or acting in a position that requires Senate confirmation.
The amendment made by paragraph (1) shall take effect on January 1, 2027.
The proposed renaming restriction would apply only where both conditions are met: a federal agency administers the property, and a federal statute assigns its name. Changing that name or designation would require a law enacted by Congress expressly making the change.
Federal property may not be renamed or redesignated except through a provision of law enacted by Congress that expressly renames or redesignates such property.
the term Federal property means any feature (including a geographic or administrative feature), building (including a public building as defined in section 3301 of title 40), or other real property or interest in real property— (1) administered by a Federal agency; and (2) the name of which is designated or otherwise assigned by Federal statute.
The proposed criminal provision would cover politically appointed federal officers and employees, including people appointed to or acting in positions requiring Senate confirmation. It addresses willfully displaying an incorrect name on covered property or renaming it without prior statutory authorization, using the same property definition as the renaming restriction.
Any covered officer or employee who willfully displays an incorrect name of a unit of Federal property on such property or renames a unit of Federal property without prior statutory authorization shall be subject to the following:
The term covered officer or employee means an officer or employee of the Federal Government that is politically appointed, including an officer or employee appointed to or acting in a position that requires Senate confirmation.
The term Federal property has the meaning given the term in section 307 of title 5.
If damage or attempted damage to the property exceeded $1,000, the proposed penalty would be a fine under title 18, imprisonment for up to 10 years, or both. If it did not exceed $1,000, the maximum prison term would be one year, with a fine also possible.
(1) If the damage or attempted damage to such property exceeds the sum of $1,000, a fine under this title or imprisonment for not more than 10 years, or both. (2) If the damage or attempted damage to such property does not exceed the sum of $1,000, a fine under this title or by imprisonment for not more than 1 year, or both.
An action under the proposed criminal provision would have to begin within 10 years after the violation. This is a deadline for starting a case.
(b) Statute of limitations An action under subsection (a) shall be commenced not later than 10 years after the date on which the violation occurs.
The amendment adding the criminal provision would take effect January 1, 2027. The date clause specifically applies to that amendment.
(b) Malicious mischief (1) In general Chapter 65 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 1370. Displaying incorrect name on Federal property
(2) Effective date The amendment made by paragraph (1) shall take effect on January 1, 2027.
For the existing building-naming provision in title 40, section 3102, the bill would replace wording that applies regardless of whether a building was previously named by statute with an exception for buildings previously named by statute. The supplied text does not reproduce the rest of that existing provision.
(c) Naming or designating buildings Section 3102 of title 40, United States Code, is amended by striking regardless of whether it was previously named by statute and inserting unless such building was previously named by statute.
The bill would also update the statutory tables of sections to list the new renaming restriction and criminal provision.
(d) Clerical amendments (1) The table of sections for chapter 3 of part I of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new item: 307. Renaming of Federal property. . (2) The table of sections for chapter 65 of part I of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new item: 1370. Displaying incorrect name on Federal property.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated August 24, 2026, records introduction in the House on August 6, 2026, and referral that day to the Judiciary, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Oversight and Government Reform committees for provisions within their respective jurisdictions.
Source snapshot updated 2026-08-24T17:33:14Z.
2026-08-06: Introduced in House
2026-08-06: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Oversight and Government Reform, 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.
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-08-06. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not cover other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish the absence of earmarks in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow preferential benefit, special exemption or carve-out warranting a finding was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Aug 24, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI