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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7168 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7168
To direct the Secretary of Education to develop standards for fire
suppression systems in dormitories and other residential facilities for
students on the campuses of institutions of higher education that
receive Federal education funding, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 21, 2026
Mr. Kean (for himself and Mr. Gottheimer) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Education to develop standards for fire
suppression systems in dormitories and other residential facilities for
students on the campuses of institutions of higher education that
receive Federal education funding, and for other purposes.
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 ``Seton Hall Fire Victims Remembrance
Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. FIRE SUPPRESSION STANDARDS AT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.
(a) Fire Suppression Standards.--
(1) In general.--Not later than two years after the date of
the enactment of this section, the Secretary of Education, in
consultation with the Director of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology and other relevant subject matter
experts (as determined by the Secretary and the Director of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology), shall develop
and finalize standards for fire suppression systems in
dormitories and other residential facilities for students on
the campus of a covered institution (which shall include a
timeline for phasing in such standards and the threshold of
compliance to be met by the covered institution to receive a
designation). The Secretary, in consultation with the Director
of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, shall
update these standards every 10 years.
(2) Recommendations; technical assistance.--Not later than
three years after the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in
consultation with the Director of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology, shall--
(A) submit to Congress recommendations with respect
to ensuring maximum compliance of covered institutions
with the standards finalized under paragraph (1); and
(B) provide technical assistance to covered
institutions with respect to complying with such
standards.
(b) Institutional Compliance.--
(1) In general.--
(A) Assessment.--Not later than one year after the
finalization of standards under subsection (a)(1), and
every 5 years thereafter, a covered institution shall
carry out an assessment of compliance with such
standards and submit an accurate assessment to the
Secretary. The accuracy of the assessment shall be
determined by an expert in fire suppression systems, as
defined by the Secretary in consultation with the
Director of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology. Upon submission of the assessment of
compliance, the covered institution certifies the
accuracy of the assessment.
(B) Determination.--Not later than six months after
receiving an assessment from a covered institution
under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall make a
designation with respect to the degree of compliance of
each dormitory and residential facility.
(C) Designation.--
(i) If the Secretary determines a covered
institution is in compliance with the standards
finalized under subsection (a)(1), the
Secretary shall designate the institution as a
``Federally Recognized Fire-Safe Campus''.
(ii) If the Secretary determines a covered
institution is not in compliance with the
standards finalized under subsection (a)(1),
the Secretary shall designate the institution
as a ``Not Federally Recognized Fire-Safe
Campus''.
(D) Publication.--The Secretary shall make the
assessments submitted under subparagraph (A) and the
degree of compliance determined under subparagraph (B)
publicly available on a website of the Department of
Education in a form that is easily accessible and
understandable.
(2) Program participation agreement.--Section 487(a) of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1094(a)) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(30) The institution will comply with the requirements of
the Seton Hall Fire Victims Remembrance Act of 2026.''.
(3) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this Act shall be
construed as to eliminate the ability of covered institutions
designated under subparagraph (D)(ii) to participate in
programs authorized under subchapter IV of the Higher Education
Act of 1965 only because the covered institution was designated
under subparagraph (D)(ii).
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Applicable program.--The term ``applicable program''
has the meaning given such term in section 400(c) of the
General Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1221(c)).
(2) Covered institution.--The term ``covered institution''
means an institution of higher education that receives funds
under an applicable program.
(3) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given such
term in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1002).
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
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