IB 

Union Calendar No. 229 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7077 

[Report No. 117–309] 

To require the United States Fire Administration to conduct on-site 

investigations of major fires, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 15, 2022 

Mr. TORRES of New York (for himself, Ms. STEVENS, Mr. MEIJER, and Mr. 

GONZALEZ of Ohio) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

MAY 6, 2022 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on March 15, 2022] 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
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•HR 7077 RH

A BILL 

To require the United States Fire Administration to conduct 

on-site investigations of major fires, and for other purposes. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
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•HR 7077 RH

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 ‘‘Empowering the U.S. 

5 Fire Administration Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FIRE INVESTIGATIONS. 

7 The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 

8 (15 U.S.C. 2201 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

9 the following: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 38. INVESTIGATION AUTHORITIES. 

11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In the case of any major fire, the 

12 Administrator may send incident investigators, which may 

13 include safety specialists, fire protection engineers, codes 

14 and standards experts, researchers, and fire training spe15 cialists, to the site of the fire to conduct an investigation 

16 as described in subsection (b). 

17 ‘‘(b) INVESTIGATION REQUIRED.—A fire investigation 

18 conducted under this section— 

19 ‘‘(1) shall be conducted in coordination and co20 operation with appropriate Federal, State, and local 

21 authorities, including Federal agencies that are au22 thorized to investigate a major fire or an incident of 

23 which the major fire is a part; and 

24 ‘‘(2) shall examine the determined cause and ori25 gin of the fire and assess broader systematic matters 


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•HR 7077 RH

1 to include use of codes and standards, demographics, 

2 structural characteristics, smoke and fire dynamics 

3 (movement) during the event, and costs of associated 

4 injuries and deaths. 

5 ‘‘(c) REPORT.—Upon concluding any fire investiga6 tion under this section, the Administrator shall issue a pub7 lic report to local, State, and Federal authorities on the 

8 findings of such investigation, or collaborate with another 

9 investigating Federal agency on that agency’s report, in10 cluding recommendations on— 

11 ‘‘(1) any other buildings with similar character12 istics that may bear similar fire risks; 

13 ‘‘(2) improving tactical response to similar fires; 

14 ‘‘(3) improving civilian safety practices; 

15 ‘‘(4) assessing the costs and benefits to the com16 munity of adding fire safety features; and 

17 ‘‘(5) how to mitigate the causes of such fire. 

18 ‘‘(d) DISCRETIONARY AUTHORITY.—In addition to in19 vestigations conducted pursuant to subsection (a), the Ad20 ministrator may send fire investigators to conduct inves21 tigations at the site of any fire with unusual or remarkable 

22 context that results in losses less severe than those occurring 

23 as a result of a major fire, in coordination with appropriate 

24 Federal, State, and local authorities, including Federal 


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•HR 7077 RH

1 agencies that are authorized to investigate a major fire or 

2 an incident of which the major fire is a part. 

3 ‘‘(e) MAJOR FIRE DEFINED.—For purposes of this sec4 tion, the term ‘major fire’ shall have the meaning given such 

5 term under regulations to be issued by the Administrator.’’. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 229 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7077 

[Report No. 117–309] 

A BILL 

To require the United States Fire Administration 

and for other purposes. to conduct on-site investigations of major fires, 

MAY 6, 2022 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS