[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 14, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H358]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FIRE SAFETY AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, late last month the Office of Compliance
reported on its comprehensive fire-safety inspections of the three
Library of Congress buildings.
After previous dire warnings over the last two years from the House
Inspector General and the Compliance Office about the state of fire
protection in the Capitol and congressional office buildings, I had
hoped for a better report on conditions at the Library. Unfortunately,
the Compliance Office found that the Library buildings suffer from many
of the same deficiencies as the Capitol and congressional buildings.
I strongly believe that Congress must take every reasonable step to
maximize the physical safety of the thousands who work in the Capitol
complex every day and of the millions who visit every year. Congress
also has a responsibility to safeguard the numerous valuable artifacts,
many of them irreplaceable, which are housed in the Capitol and among
the Library's collections.
In view of the Compliance Office's findings at the Library, the new
Chairman of the House Administration Committee [Mr. Ney] and I have
written jointly to the Architect of the Capitol, who has responsibility
for maintaining the Library's buildings, asking for a detailed report
on the status of his efforts to correct the deficiencies there.
Specifically, we have requested detailed plans, timelines, and an
identification of any additional resources needed to complete the task.
We have also written to the House Inspector General, who has
demonstrated substantial expertise in fire-protection matters, asking
his office to participate in regular meetings with Architect and
Library staff, offer whatever guidance he deems appropriate, and
monitor progress, as he does in connection with ongoing fire-safety
work in the House.
Last September the Architect unveiled before the House Administration
Committee a staff reorganization plan that places all AOC fire-safety
work under the supervision of a single senior-level subordinate, as
proposed in a bill (H.R. 4366) that I introduced in the last Congress.
The AOC is clearly moving in the right direction and I appreciate the
progress he has made. The Chairman and I look forward to working with
the Architect to ensure the deficiencies previously noted, and those
just identified at the Library, are remedied as soon as practicable. I
include for the Record the texts of our letters to the Architect and
the Inspector General of the House:
House of Representatives,
Committee on House Administration,
Washington, DC, February 7, 2001.
Hon. Alan M. Hantman, AIA,
The Architect of the Capitol,
The Capitol.
Dear Mr. Hantman: We have received the recent Office of
Compliance report on its fire-safety inspections of the
Library of Congress buildings. As you know, the Office found
numerous fire-safety deficiencies in the three Library
buildings, the same types of deficiencies found last year
during thorough inspections of the Capitol and congressional
office buildings. We are greatly concerned about the report
and the grave danger posed to Library employees, visitors,
and to the Library's enormous collection of books and
artifacts, many irreplaceable, by decades of inadequate
attention to fire-safety matters. We know you share our
concern, and trust that you also share our determination to
see these additional deficiencies corrected at the earliest
possible date.
Toward that goal, we ask that you provide us immediately
with a comprehensive report on the status of AOC efforts to
correct deficiencies found in the Library buildings. Please
provide detailed plans for the correction of deficiencies
that remain uncorrected, including an identification of any
additional resources that you may need to complete the work
and timelines for its completion. We also ask that you assess
the level of fire protection now afforded to the Library's
most valuable artifacts, and indicate how you will prioritize
the correction of deficiencies related to their protection.
We appreciate the progress that AOC has made in addressing
fire-safety deficiencies in the House office buildings since
the Inspector General's and Compliance Office's previous
reports. We hope the Library can benefit from the AOC's
experience in addressing those deficiencies. In that vein, we
encourage you to incorporate into your approach for the
Library the use of frequent, regular meetings among AOC,
Library, and House Inspector General staff, to coordinate
efforts and facilitate communication . A similar approach has
worked well in the House.
Thanking you for your prompt attention to this request,
with kindest regards, we remain
Sincerely yours,
Bob Ney,
Chairman.
Steny H. Hoyer,
Ranking Minority Member.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on House Administration,
Washington, DC, February 7, 2001.
Hon. Steven A. McNamara,
Inspector General, House of Representatives, Ford House
Office Building.
Dear Mr. McNamara: As you know, the Office of Compliance
just reported on the results of its fire-safety inspections
of the Library of Congress buildings. The Compliance Office
found numerous fire-safety deficiencies in the three Library
buildings, the same types of deficiencies that it and your
office found during prior inspections of the Capitol and
House office buildings. We are greatly concerned about the
danger posed to Library employees, visitors, and to the
Library's valuable collection of books and artifacts, many
irreplaceable, by the effects of decades of inadequate
attention to fire safety. We are eager to help the Architect
of the Capitol reverse these effects.
Your office has considerable expertise in such matters, and
you continue to oversee the Architect's efforts to correct
fire-safety deficiencies in the Capitol and House buildings.
We write to ask that you similarly monitor the AOC's work to
correct the fire-safety deficiencies at the Library, offer
the AOC and the Library whatever guidance you may deem
appropriate, and keep the Committee apprised of progress. As
work progresses, should you have any concerns, please bring
them to the Committee's attention immediately. To coordinate
efforts and facilitate communications, we have urged the
Architect to incorporate into his approach at the Library a
plan to conduct regular, frequent meetings among AOC staff,
Library staff and your staff, as he has done in the House.
Thanking you for your attention to this matter, with
kindest regards, we remain
Sincerely yours,
Bob Ney,
Chairman.
Steny H. Hoyer,
Ranking Minority Member.
____________________