[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 665 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 665

    Providing for enclosing the visitors' galleries of the House of 
      Representatives with a transparent and substantial material.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 8, 2004

  Mr. Burton of Indiana submitted the following resolution; which was 
           referred to the Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Providing for enclosing the visitors' galleries of the House of 
      Representatives with a transparent and substantial material.

    Resolved, 

SEC. 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The first bombing of the Capitol occurred in the Senate 
        in 1915 by a man protesting United States involvement in World 
        War I.
            (2) On March 1, 1954, four Puerto Rican nationalists armed 
        with .38 caliber revolvers entered the visitors' gallery of the 
        House of Representatives and fired a total of 19 shots at 
        Members and staff while the House was in session and conducting 
        a vote; five Members were struck by the gunfire.
            (3) In 1971, a group named the Weather Underground planted 
        an explosive device in a first-floor restroom in the Senate to 
        protest United States military involvement in the Vietnam War. 
        The device detonated early in the morning when the building was 
        closed, causing extensive damages but no injuries.
            (4) In 1983, a man carrying an improvised explosive device 
        strapped to his body entered the visitors' gallery of the House 
        of Representatives while the House was in session. He was able 
        to construct the device in such a manner as to avoid detection 
        during security screening. During a floor debate, the man 
        attempted to detonate the device until United States Capitol 
        Police officers restrained him, removed him from the gallery, 
        and secured the device.
            (5) Also in 1983, a group named the Armed Resistance Unit 
        planted an explosive device on the second floor of the Senate, 
        outside the Senate Chamber, to protest United States military 
        involvement in Central America. The device detonated at 11:00 
        p.m. causing extensive damage to the area around the Chamber. 
        At the time, the Senate had already recessed and no one was in 
        the area when the blast occurred.
            (6) On July 24, 1998, a lone gunman entered the Document 
        Door of the Capitol and immediately shot and killed the officer 
        posted at location. The gunman then exchanged gunfire with 
        another officer before fleeing further into the building where 
        he engaged in another gunfight in which a second officer was 
        killed. The gunman was shot several times during this incident.
            (7) On the terrible and fateful morning of September 11, 
        2001, the people of the United States became painfully aware of 
        the destructive intent of terrorists as well as the 
        increasingly sophisticated and devastating methods by which 
        they conduct their deadly work. Evidence strongly suggests 
        Members of Congress were and continue to remain a terrorist 
        target.
            (8) The visitors' galleries of the House of Representatives 
        and the Senate are the frequent target of demonstrators. 
        Whenever the House or Senate is debating a subject that is 
        controversial or polarizing, it is not uncommon for 
        disturbances and acts of civil disobedience to occur in the 
        galleries.
            (9) Since August 1996, the United States Capitol Police 
        have arrested three people in the visitors' galleries of the 
        House of Representatives and 15 people in the visitors' 
        galleries of the Senate for disrupting Congress.
            (10) In 2000, close to 3,000,000 people visited the Capitol 
        and during the peak tourist season as many as 18,000 people 
        visit each day.
            (11) In addition to Members and their staff, a sizable 
        number of journalists, lobbyists, and service personnel also 
        work within the Capitol complex.
            (12) These above-cited incidents and the large number of 
        visitors and personnel present in the Capitol have prompted 
        increases in the level of security afforded the Capitol 
        complex.

SEC. 2. ENCLOSURE OF VISITORS' GALLERIES OF THE HOUSE OF 
              REPRESENTATIVES.

    (a) Enclosure.--The Architect of the Capitol shall enclose the 
visitors' galleries of the House of Representatives with a transparent 
and substantial material, and shall install equipment so that the 
proceedings on the floor of the House of Representatives will be 
clearly audible in the galleries.
    (b) Authorization.--There shall be paid out of the applicable 
accounts of the House of Representatives such sums as may be reasonably 
necessary to carry out this section.
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