[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 50 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 50

    Providing for enclosing the visitors' galleries of the House of 
         Representatives with a clear and bomb-proof material.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 24, 2011

  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 clear and bomb-proof material.

    Resolved,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) In 2007, outgoing Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Bill Pickle 
        warned about the potential of a terrorist attack on the United 
        States Capitol. Specifically, Mr. Pickle warned that: ``Nothing 
        has changed since 9/11. The Capitol is the symbol of America 
        all over the world, and it's clearly the No. 1 or No. 2 target 
        of terrorists, as it was on 9/11''.
            (2) The first bombing of the Capitol occurred in the Senate 
        in 1915 by a man protesting United States involvement in World 
        War I.
            (3) On March 1, 1954, 4 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, and 5 Members were struck by the gunfire.
            (4) 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.
            (5) 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.
            (6) 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.
            (7) 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.
            (8) 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.
            (9) On December 25, 2009, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab 
        successfully smuggled a non-metallic explosive onto a Detroit-
        bound commercial flight from Amsterdam. The inability of walk-
        through metal detectors to screen for nonmetallic weapons and 
        explosives is a critical weakness in aviation security and a 
        critical weakness in Capitol security.
            (10) One of the Capitol's most vulnerable locations is the 
        House of Representatives Visitors' Gallery because of its wide 
        open access to the House Floor.
            (11) 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.
            (12) The importance of the House Chamber to our 
        Government's identity is profound. It is the one place where 
        the entire Legislative Branch, Representatives and Senators, 
        along with Supreme Court Justices, Cabinet officials, and 
        foreign dignitaries gather together to hear the President give 
        the State of the Union Address.

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 clear and 
bomb-proof material, and shall install audio equipment so that the 
proceedings on the floor of the House of Representatives will be 
clearly audible in the galleries.
    (b) Authorization.--There are authorized to be appropriated from 
the applicable accounts of the House of Representatives such sums as 
may be reasonably necessary to carry out this section.
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