Houston post office to soon be renamed in honor of Vanessa Guillén, as bill nears approval

A bill to rename a southeast Houston post office after slain U.S. Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén is expected to pass 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 is expected to pass a vote on Wednesday afternoon, according to a spokesperson in 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 much needed 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.

Officials say Guillén, a southeast Houston native, was killed in 2020 by a fellow soldier whose sexual harassment of Guillén went ignored by the Army. Renaming the post office, an important and visible landmark in the area where she grew up, is a fitting tribute to Vanessa'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.