II

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 2100

To provide for fire sprinkler systems in public and private college and university housing and dormitories, including fraternity and sorority housing

and dormitories.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

FEBRUARY 24, 2000

Mr. EDWARDS (for himself, Mr. LAUTENBERG, and Mr. TORRICELLI) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

A BILL

To provide for fire sprinkler systems in public and private

college and university housing and dormitories, including

fraternity and sorority housing and dormitories.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘College Fire Preven5 tion Act’’.

6 SEC 2. FINDINGS.

7 Congress makes the following findings:

8 (1) On Wednesday, January 19, 2000, a fire

9 occurred at a Seton Hall University dormitory.
2

•S 2100 IS

1 Three male freshmen, all 18 years of age, died.

2 Fifty-four students, 2 South Orange firefighters,

3 and 2 South Orange police officers were injured.

4 The dormitory was a 6-story, 350-room structure

5 built in 1952, that housed approximately 600 stu6 dents. It was equipped with smoke alarms but no

7 fire sprinkler system.

8 (2) On Mother’s Day 1996 in Chapel Hill,

9 North Carolina, a fire in the Phi Gamma Delta Fra10 ternity House killed 5 college juniors and injured 3.

11 The 3-story plus basement fraternity house was 70

12 years old. The National Fire Protection Association

13 identified several factors that contributed to the

14 tragic fire, including the lack of fire sprinkler pro15 tection.

16 (3) It is estimated that in a typical year be17 tween 1980 and 1997, there were an average of

18 1,800 fires at dormitories, fraternities, and sorori19 ties, involving 1 death, 69 injuries, and $8,100,000

20 in property damage.

21 (4) Within dormitories the number 1 cause of

22 fires is arson or suspected arson. The second leading

23 cause of college building fires is cooking, while the

24 third leading cause is smoking.
3

•S 2100 IS

1 (5) The National Fire Protection Association

2 has no record of a fire killing more than 2 people

3 in a completely fire sprinklered public assembly, edu4 cational, institutional, or residential building where

5 the sprinkler system was operating properly.

6 (6) New dormitories are generally required to

7 have advanced safety systems such as fire sprinklers.

8 But such requirements are rarely imposed retro9 actively on existing buildings.

10 (7) In 1997, over 90 percent of the campus

11 building fires reported to fire departments occurred

12 in buildings where there were smoke alarms present.

13 However, only 28 percent had fire sprinklers

14 present.

15 SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

16 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out

17 this Act $100,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2001

18 through 2005.

19 SEC. 4. GRANTS AUTHORIZED.

20 (a) PROGRAM AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Edu21 cation, in consultation with the United States Fire Admin22 istration, is authorized to award grants, on a competitive

23 basis, to States, private or public colleges or universities,

24 fraternities, or sororities to assist them in providing fire
4

•S 2100 IS

1 sprinkler systems for their student housing and dor2 mitories.

3 (b) MATCHING FUNDS REQUIREMENT.—The Sec4 retary of Education may not award a grant under this

5 section unless the entity receiving the grant provides, from

6 State, local, or private sources, matching funds in an

7 amount equal to not less than one-half of the cost of the

8 activities for which assistance is sought.

9 SEC. 5. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.

10 (a) AWARD BASIS.—In awarding grants under this

11 Act the Secretary of Education shall take into consider12 ation various fire safety factors and conditions that the

13 Secretary determines appropriate.

14 (b) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—

15 An entity that receives a grant under this Act shall not

16 use more than 4 percent of the grant funds for administra17 tive expenses.

18 SEC. 6. DATA AND REPORT.

19 The Comptroller General shall—

20 (1) gather data on the number of college and

21 university housing facilities and dormitories that

22 have and do not have fire sprinkler systems and

23 other forms of built-in fire protection mechanisms;

24 and
5

•S 2100 IS

1 (2) report such data to Congress.

Æ