[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 75 (Wednesday, June 8, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6228-S6229]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CORZINE (for himself and Mr. Lautenberg):
  S. 1196. A bill to provide for disclosure of fire safety standards 
and measures with respect to campus buildings, and for other purposes; 
to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. CORZINE. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the ``Campus 
Fire Safety Right-to-Know Act of 2005''. I first introduced this 
legislation in the l07th Congress in response to a tragic fire at New 
Jersey's Seton Hall University that claimed the lives of three students 
and injured more than fifty others. This legislation is designed to 
curb the epidemic of dangerous college campus fires.
  Since the Seton Hall fire, campus fires have continued to take the 
lives of our college students and their families. According to the 
Center for Campus Fire Safety, more than 75 fire-related deaths have 
occurred in student housing at colleges across the country since 
January of 2000. Campus fires have claimed lives in nearly half the 
States of this Nation, from New Jersey to Texas, Indiana to 
Pennsylvania, and Ohio to right here in Washington, DC. This 
legislation will finally bring to light the extent of this tragic 
danger facing our Nation's best and brightest.
  The ``Campus Fire Safety Right-to-Know Act'' requires disclosure of 
fire safety information on campuses as well as a report from the 
Secretary of Education to Congress on the depth of the problem and 
possible solutions. The bill implements the same procedure that 
requires schools to disclose crime statistics and other safety 
information. While the bill does not mandate colleges to upgrade their 
systems, it does offer a powerful incentive for them to do so by 
providing prospective students and their parents the opportunity to 
review and compare the quality and record of fire safety protections at 
all colleges and universities.
  Only 35 percent of university-sponsored student housing that suffer 
fires are equipped with sprinkler systems.

[[Page S6229]]

Each year, approximately 1,600 fires break out in dormitories, 
fraternity and sorority houses, and other housing controlled by student 
groups. Parents and students deserve to know what steps their school 
has taken to prevent and prepare for these harmful and often fatal 
catastrophes.
  The ``Campus Fire Safety Right-to-Know Act'' will put important fire 
safety information in the hands of students and their parents who 
entrust their children to our Nation's colleges and universities. I 
believe this bill will make important strides in the effort to make our 
college campuses safer and I urge my colleagues to support it.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1196

       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 2005''.

     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) Annual fire safety reports required.--Each 
     institution participating in any program under this title 
     shall, beginning in the first academic year that begins after 
     the date of enactment of the Campus Fire Safety Right-to-Know 
     Act of 2005, and each year thereafter, prepare, publish, and 
     distribute, through appropriate publications (including the 
     Internet) or mailings, to all current students and employees, 
     and to any applicant for enrollment or employment upon 
     request, an annual fire safety report. Such reports shall 
     contain at least the following information with respect to 
     the campus fire safety practices and standards of that 
     institution:
       ``(A) A statement that identifies each institution owned or 
     controlled student housing facility, and whether or not such 
     facility is equipped with a fire sprinkler system or other 
     fire safety system, or has fire escape planning or protocols.
       ``(B) Statistics for each such facility concerning the 
     occurrence of fires and false alarms in such facility, during 
     the 2 preceding calendar years for which data are available.
       ``(C) For each such occurrence in each such facility, a 
     summary of the human injuries or deaths, structural or 
     property damage, or combination thereof.
       ``(D) Information regarding rules on portable electrical 
     appliances, smoking and open flames (such as candles), 
     regular mandatory supervised fire drills, and planned and 
     future improvements in fire safety.
       ``(E) Information about fire safety education and training 
     provided to students, faculty, and staff.
       ``(F) Information concerning fire safety at any housing 
     facility owned or controlled by a fraternity, sorority, or 
     student group that is recognized by the institution, 
     including--
       ``(i) information reported to the institution under 
     paragraph (4); and
       ``(ii) a statement concerning whether and how the 
     institution works with recognized student fraternities and 
     sororities, and other recognized student groups owning or 
     controlling housing facilities, to make building and property 
     owned or controlled by such fraternities, sororities, and 
     groups more fire safe.
       ``(2) Fraternities, sororities, and other groups.--Each 
     institution participating in a program under this title shall 
     request each fraternity and sorority that is recognized by 
     the institution, and any other student group that is 
     recognized by the institution and that owns or controls 
     housing facilities, to collect and report to the institution 
     the information described in subparagraphs (A) through (E) of 
     paragraph (1), as applied to the fraternity, sorority, or 
     recognized student group, respectively, for each building and 
     property owned or controlled by the fraternity, sorority, or 
     group, respectively.
       ``(3) Current information to campus community.--Each 
     institution participating in any program under this title 
     shall make, keep, and maintain a log, written in a form that 
     can be easily understood, recording all on-campus fires, 
     including the nature, date, time, and general location of 
     each fire and all false fire alarms. All entries that are 
     required pursuant to this paragraph shall, except where 
     disclosure of such information is prohibited by law, be open 
     to public inspection, and each such institution shall make 
     annual reports to the campus community on such fires and 
     false fire alarms in a manner that will aid the prevention of 
     similar occurrences.
       ``(4) Reports to the 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 nationally recognized fire 
     organizations and 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) 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.
       ``(6) Definitions.--In this subsection, the term `campus' 
     has the meaning provided in subsection (f)(6).''.

     SEC. 3. REPORT TO CONGRESS BY THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION.

       (a) Definition of Facility.--In this section the term 
     ``facility'' means a student housing facility owned or 
     controlled by an institution of higher education, or a 
     housing facility owned or controlled by a fraternity, 
     sorority, or student group that is recognized by the 
     institution.
       (b) Report.--Within two years 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 facilities of institutions participating in 
     programs under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
     (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.), including sprinkler systems;
       (2) an analysis of the appropriate fire safety standards to 
     apply to such 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 
     such facilities up to current building codes; and
       (4) recommendations from the Secretary concerning the best 
     means of meeting fire safety standards in all such 
     facilities, including recommendations for methods to fund 
     such cost.
                                 ______