[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 79 (Tuesday, May 7, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H2922-H2923]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION SAFETY TEAM ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2024
Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 4143) to amend the National Construction Safety
Team Act to enable the National Institute of Standards and Technology
to investigate structures other than buildings to inform the
development of engineering standards, best practices, and building
codes related to such structures, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4143
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 ``National Construction Safety
Team Enhancement Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION SAFETY TEAM ENHANCEMENT.
The National Construction Safety Team Act is amended--
(1) in section 2 (15 U.S.C. 7301)--
(A) in subsection (a)--
(i) in the first sentence, by striking ``buildings'' and
inserting ``structure''; and
(ii) by inserting after the first sentence the following
new sentence: ``In instances in which the failure of the
building or structure is the proper subject for investigation
by another Federal agency, the Director shall defer to the
authority of such agency.'';
(B) in subsection (b)--
(i) in paragraph (1), by striking ``buildings'' and
inserting ``the built environment''; and
(ii) in paragraph (2)--
(I) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ``or structure''
after ``building'';
(II) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``building standards,
codes, and practices'' and inserting ``engineering standards,
practices, and building codes''; and
(III) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``buildings'' and
inserting ``the built environment''; and
(C) in subsection (c)(1)--
(i) in subparagraph (G), by inserting ``or structure''
after ``building''; and
(ii) in subparagraph (J)--
(I) by inserting ``or structure'' after ``building''; and
(II) by inserting ``or the National Windstorm Impact
Reduction Act of 2004'' after ``1977'';
(2) in section 4 (15 U.S.C. 7303)--
(A) by striking the term ``building'' each place it
appears; and
(B) by inserting ``building or structure'' before
``failure'' each place it appears;
(3) in section 7 (15 U.S.C. 7306), by inserting ``or
structure'' after ``building'';
(4) in section 8 (15 U.S.C. 7307)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``or structure'' after
``building'';
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking ``standards, codes, and
practices'' and inserting ``engineering standards, practices,
and building codes''; and
(C) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``and structure'' after
``building'';
(5) in section 9(2) (15 U.S.C. 7308(2)), by striking
``building standards, codes, and practices'' each place it
appears and inserting ``engineering standards, practices, and
building codes''; and
(6) in section 14 (15 U.S.C. 7312), by striking ``building
standards, codes, or practices'' and inserting ``engineering
standards, practices, and building codes''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Kean) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.
General Leave
Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
and to include extraneous material on H.R. 4143, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4143, the National
Construction Safety Team Enhancement Act of 2024, offered by the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren).
The National Construction Safety Team, or NCST, is a program run by
the National Institute of Standards and Technology to investigate major
building disasters and failures so that we can develop better
construction standards in the future.
Following NIST's investigation of the Twin Towers collapse after 9/
11, they issued recommendations that have significantly impacted how we
design and construct buildings, making them safer and more durable.
Currently, NIST is investigating the 2021 collapse of the Surfside
condominiums in south Florida, which killed nearly 100 people.
While NIST does exceptional work in these investigations, their scope
is limited to building failures. This bill will
[[Page H2923]]
expand that authority to general infrastructure failures, which
currently are not investigated in this way.
This is a smart bill that will ensure that we can utilize NIST's
unique expertise to better understand any failures in roads, bridges,
dams, and other infrastructure and, most importantly, develop best
practices and guidances so that we can avert future tragedies.
This legislation builds off the authorities NIST received after 9/11
to conduct technical investigations of building failures and ensures
these efforts do not impede on criminal or other law enforcement
investigations.
I thank Ranking Member Lofgren for introducing this bill along with
Chairman Lucas.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today in support of my bill, the National Construction Safety
Team Enhancement Act of 2024.
Last year, there was massive flooding along California's central
coast, which left communities really across the State vulnerable. In my
district, the Pajaro River's levee failed, forcing over 1,500 people to
evacuate and putting thousands of homes at risk. Many of them were
flooded.
In May 2023, I joined Representative Panetta, Senator Padilla, and
the late Senator Feinstein in asking the Army Corps of Engineers to
provide emergency assistance to help with the levee.
Last August, the Biden-Harris administration heeded our call to
action and committed $20 million to repair the levee and address
erosion on the left bank of the Pajaro River. That has now been
concluded, and these communities have been protected, at least with the
emergency repairs.
As with this small rural community in my own district, the climate
crisis continues to put massive strains on aging infrastructure across
the United States.
While recovery and reconstruction efforts continue, we have to do
more to understand the causes of destructive and life-threatening
events, like the Pajaro River levee failure, to make sure it doesn't
happen again. Unfortunately, there's no agency currently authorized to
conduct thorough technical investigations of failure of general
infrastructure, like levees, dikes, bridges, or dams.
When it comes to buildings, the National Institute of Standards and
Technology has been charged by Congress with conducting investigations
in order to improve the building codes and standards used to design and
maintain them. The National Construction Safety Team, or NCST,
dispatches experts to work alongside other agencies to investigate
major building disasters, to improve the scientific understanding
around these failures, and to prevent future catastrophes.
This bill expands NCST's existing authority to include investigations
of general infrastructure failures. These teams will investigate
incidents involving other structures that we also rely on every day in
order to improve the safety and resilience of American communities.
The tragic destruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge into the mouth
of the Patapsco River in Baltimore underscores the immediate need for
this legislation. The impact of that catastrophe is being felt all
across the United States.
NIST needs the authority to investigate major infrastructure failures
so that they may improve future engineering standards and building
codes to guard against such failures in the future.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Lucas for his partnership on this bill
and so many other things.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this timely and
necessary legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Michigan (Ms. Stevens), my colleague on the Science Committee.
Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I thank again Ranking Member Lofgren,
particularly in light of her remarkable leadership in crafting and
introducing this bill. I join both of my colleagues to shine a light on
the deep and critical importance of H.R. 4143, the National
Construction Safety Team Enhancement Act.
We all know that NIST is the little engine that could within our
Federal Government, doing so much with little resources and showing the
true benefit of where and how we invest taxpayer dollars for the
greater implications of society and safety. We know that the National
Construction Safety Team within NIST is modeled after the National
Transportation Safety Team, both expert operations that get dispatched
to the site of major building disasters to investigate the cause and
identify preventive solutions.
However, the existing authority only extends to buildings, and it
leaves out major swaths of our built environment, as the ranking member
mentioned, like bridges and levees, which, just frankly, leaves our
Nation vulnerable.
This legislation will expand the safety team's existing authority to
better investigate those failures of infrastructure in structures other
than buildings.
This really couldn't come at a more important time. I know this is
deeply critical to residents in Michigan. We want to be in a place
where we are creating resilient structures and recognizing some of the
damaging impacts of climate change and rising sea levels. That is the
extreme weather environment we are in.
I thank the ranking member and all on the Science Committee. I am
proud to be a cosponsor of this bill and eager to see it passed in the
House of Representatives.
Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
In closing, I am proud of this bill. If we make this the law, America
will be safer, full stop. I am happy that we were able to do it on a
bipartisan basis, and I am looking forward to quick action in the
Senate.
I thank again the chairman of the committee, Mr. Lucas, for his
collaboration on this and so many other things.
Mr. Speaker, I urge passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my
time.
This is a commonsense, practical policy that supports science and
innovation to improve people's lives. I encourage my colleagues to
support this bipartisan legislation to ensure that NIST can utilize its
unique expertise to conduct these technical investigations on major
failures to our infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Kean) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 4143, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and
nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
____________________