Directs the Comptroller General to gather, and report to Congress, data on the number of college and university housing facilities and dormitories that have and do not have fire sprinkler systems and other forms of built-in fire protection mechanisms.
Provides that any application for assistance under this Act, any negative determination on the part of the Secretary with respect to such application, or any statement of reasons for the determination, shall not be admissible as evidence in any proceeding of any court, agency, board, or other entity.
[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2145 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2145
To provide for fire sprinkler systems, or other fire suppression or
prevention technologies, in public and private college and university
housing and dormitories, including fraternity and sorority housing and
dormitories.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 13, 2001
Mrs. Jones of Ohio (for herself, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas,
Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Hobson, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Grucci, Mr.
Boehlert, and Mr. Weldon of Pennsylvania) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the
Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for fire sprinkler systems, or other fire suppression or
prevention technologies, in public and private college and university
housing and dormitories, including fraternity and sorority housing and
dormitories.
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 ``College Fire Prevention Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) On Wednesday, January 19, 2000, a fire occurred at a
Seton Hall University dormitory. Three male freshmen, all 18
years of age, died. Fifty-four students, 2 South Orange
firefighters, and 2 South Orange police officers were injured.
The dormitory was a 6-story, 350-room structure built in 1952,
that housed approximately 600 students. It was equipped with
smoke alarms but no fire sprinkler system.
(2) On Mother's Day 1996 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a
fire in the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity House killed 5 college
juniors and injured 3. The 3-story plus basement fraternity
house was 70 years old. The National Fire Protection
Association identified several factors that contributed to the
tragic fire, including the lack of fire sprinkler protection.
(3) It is estimated that between 1980 and 1998, an average
of 1,800 fires at dormitories, fraternities, and sororities,
involving 1 death, 70 injuries, and $8,000,000 in property
damage were reported to public fire departments.
(4) Within dormitories, fraternities, and sororities the
number 1 cause of fires is arson or suspected arson. The second
leading cause of college building fires is cooking, while the
third leading cause is smoking.
(5) The National Fire Protection Association has no record
of a fire killing more than 2 people in a completely fire
sprinklered public assembly, educational, institutional, or
residential building where the sprinkler system was operating
properly.
(6) New dormitories are generally required to have advanced
safety systems such as fire sprinklers. But such requirements
are rarely imposed retroactively on existing buildings.
(7) In 1998, 93 percent of the campus building fires
reported to fire departments occurred in buildings where there
were smoke alarms present. However, only 34 percent had fire
sprinklers present.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act
$100,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2002 through 2006.
SEC. 4. GRANTS AUTHORIZED.
(a) Program Authority.--The Secretary of Education, in consultation
with the United States Fire Administration, is authorized to award
grants to States, private or public colleges or universities,
fraternities, and sororities to assist them in providing fire sprinkler
systems, or other fire suppression or prevention technologies, for
their student housing and dormitories.
(b) Matching Funds Requirement.--The Secretary of Education may not
award a grant under this section unless the entity receiving the grant
provides, from State, local, or private sources, matching funds in an
amount equal to not less than one-half of the cost of the activities
for which assistance is sought.
SEC. 5. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.
(a) Application.--Each entity desiring a grant under this Act shall
submit to the Secretary of Education an application at such time and in
such manner as the Secretary may require.
(b) Priority.--In awarding grants under this Act, the Secretary
shall give priority to applicants that demonstrate in the application
submitted under subsection (a) the inability to fund the sprinkler
system, or other fire suppression or prevention technology, from
sources other than funds provided under this Act.
(c) Limitation on Administrative Expenses.--An entity that receives
a grant under this Act shall not use more than 4 percent of the grant
funds for administrative expenses.
SEC. 6. DATA AND REPORT.
The Comptroller General shall--
(1) gather data on the number of college and university
housing facilities and dormitories that have and do not have
fire sprinkler systems and other fire suppression or prevention
technologies; and
(2) report such data to Congress.
SEC. 7. ADMISSIBILITY.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any application for
assistance under this Act, any negative determination on the part of
the Secretary of Education with respect to such application, or any
statement of reasons for the determination, shall not be admissible as
evidence in any proceeding of any court, agency, board, or other
entity.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness.
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