[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 471 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 471
To provide for disclosure of fire safety standards and measures with
respect to campus buildings, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 6, 2001
Mr. Pascrell (for himself, Mrs. Roukema, Mr. Payne, Mr. Pallone, Mr.
Andrews, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Ms. Baldwin, Mrs. Maloney of New
York, Mr. Hoyer, Mrs. Morella, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Greenwood, Mr. Skelton,
Mr. Lantos, Mr. Clement, Mr. Boehlert, and Mr. Rush) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and
the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for disclosure of fire safety standards and measures with
respect to campus buildings, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Campus Fire Safety Right-to-Know Act
of 2001''.
SEC. 2. DISCLOSURE OF FIRE SAFETY OF CAMPUS BUILDINGS.
Section 485 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1092) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(1)--
(A) by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph
(N);
(B) by striking the period at the end of
subparagraph (O) and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following new
subparagraph:
``(P) the fire safety report prepared by the institution
pursuant to subsection (h).''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(h) Disclosure of Fire Safety Standards and Measures.--
``(1) Fire safety reports required.--Each eligible
institution participating in any program under this title
shall, beginning in academic year 2001-2002, and each year
thereafter, prepare, publish, and distribute, through
appropriate publications or mailings, to all current students
and employees, and to any applicant for enrollment or
employment upon request, an annual fire safety report
containing at least the following information with respect to
the campus fire safety practices and standards of that
institution:
``(A) A statement that identifies each student
housing facility of the institution, and whether or not
that facility is equipped with a fire sprinkler system
or other fire safety systems, or both.
``(B) Statistics concerning the occurrence on
campus, during the 2 preceding calendar years for which
data are available, of fires and false fire alarms in
student housing facilities.
``(C) For each such occurrence, a statement of the
human injuries or deaths and the structural damage
caused by the occurrence.
``(D) Information regarding fire alarms, smoke
alarms, the presence of adequate fire escape planning
or protocols (as defined in local fire codes), rules on
portable electrical appliances, smoking and open flames
(such as candles), regular mandatory supervised fire
drills, and planned and future improvement in fire
safety.
``(2) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this subsection
shall be construed to authorize the Secretary to require
particular policies, procedures, or practices by institutions
of higher education with respect to fire safety.
``(3) Reports.--Each institution participating in any
program under this title shall make periodic reports to the
campus community on fires and false fire alarms that are
reported to local fire departments in a manner that will aid
the prevention of similar occurrences.
``(4) Reports to secretary.--On an annual basis, each
institution participating in any program under this title shall
submit to the Secretary a copy of the statistics required to be
made available under paragraph (1)(B). The Secretary shall--
``(A) review such statistics;
``(B) make copies of the statistics submitted to
the Secretary available to the public; and
``(C) in coordination with representatives of
institutions of higher education, identify exemplary
fire safety policies, procedures, and practices and
disseminate information concerning those policies,
procedures, and practices that have proven effective in
the reduction of campus fires.
``(5) Definitions.--In this subsection, the term `campus'
has the meaning provided in subsection (f)(6).''.
SEC. 3. REPORT TO CONGRESS BY SECRETARY OF EDUCATION.
Within one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Secretary of Education shall prepare and submit to the Congress a
report containing--
(1) an analysis of the current status of fire safety
systems in college and university facilities, including
sprinkler systems;
(2) an analysis of the appropriate fire safety standards to
apply to these facilities, which the Secretary shall prepare
after consultation with such fire safety experts,
representatives of institutions of higher education, and other
Federal agencies as the Secretary, in the Secretary's
discretion, considers appropriate;
(3) an estimate of the cost of bringing all nonconforming
dormitories and other campus buildings up to current new
building codes; and
(4) recommendations from the Secretary concerning the best
means of meeting fire safety standards in all college
facilities, including recommendations for methods to fund such
cost.
<all>