Bill To Name Dept. of Interior Building After Former Secretary Stewart Udall Advances In U.S. House

A bill sponsored by Rep. Martin Heinrich (NM-01) to name the building that houses the Interior Department in Washington, D.C. after the late Stewart Udall cleared its first hurdle in the House of Representatives today. H.R. 5128 was unanimously approved by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Download the bill.

Rep. Heinrich, a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, introduced H.R.5128 on Earth Day last week to honor Secretary Udall’s legacy. The bill, which awaits a full vote in the House, would rename the Department of the Interior Building the "Stewart Lee Udall Department of the Interior Building.”

“There is no question that Secretary Udall’s immeasurable impact on our nation will continue to be felt by Americans through the magnificent National Parks and public lands that he dedicated his life to preserving,” said Rep. Heinrich.

“The fact that this bill is moving forward so quickly indicates that there is strong support in Congress for honoring Secretary Udall’s legacy,” said Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) who introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

There are currently 28 cosponsors of H.R.5128. Seven colleagues from the New Mexico and Arizona House delegations were the original cosponsors of the bill including: Rep. Ben Ray Luján (NM-3), Rep. Harry Teague (NM-2), Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-8), Rep. Raúl Grijalva (AZ-7), Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-1), Rep. Harry Mitchell (AZ-5), and Rep. Ed Pastor (AZ-4).

Stewart Udall, the father of U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-NM), was the U.S. Interior Secretary from 1961 to 1969, serving in the cabinets of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. He also served in the U.S. Congress from 1955 to 1961. Stewart Udall died last month.