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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.

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

2 occurred at a Seton Hall University dormitory.

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

4 Fifty-four students, 2 South Orange firefighters,

5 and 2 South Orange police officers were injured.

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

7 built in 1952, that housed approximately 600 stu8 dents. It was equipped with smoke alarms but no

9 fire sprinkler system.

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

11 North Carolina, a fire in the Phi Gamma Delta Fra12 ternity House killed 5 college juniors and injured 3.

13 The 3-story plus basement fraternity house was 70

14 years old. The National Fire Protection Association

15 identified several factors that contributed to the

16 tragic fire, including the lack of fire sprinkler pro17 tection.

18 (3) It is estimated that between 1980 and

19 1998, an average of 1,800 fires at dormitories, fra20 ternities, and sororities, involving 1 death, 70 inju21 ries, and $8,000,000 in property damage were re22 ported to public fire departments.

23 (4) Within dormitories, fraternities, and sorori24 ties the number 1 cause of fires is arson or sus25 pected arson. The second leading cause of college
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1 building fires is cooking, while the third leading

2 cause is smoking.

3 (5) The National Fire Protection Association

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

5 in a completely fire sprinklered public assembly, edu6 cational, institutional, or residential building where

7 the sprinkler system was operating properly.

8 (6) New dormitories are generally required to

9 have advanced safety systems such as fire sprinklers.

10 But such requirements are rarely imposed retro11 actively on existing buildings.

12 (7) In 1998, 93 percent of the campus building

13 fires reported to fire departments occurred in build14 ings where there were smoke alarms present. How15 ever, only 34 percent had fire sprinklers present.

16 SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

17 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out

18 this Act $100,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2002

19 through 2006.

20 SEC. 4. GRANTS AUTHORIZED.

21 (a) PROGRAM AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Edu22 cation, in consultation with the United States Fire Admin23 istration, is authorized to award grants to States, private

24 or public colleges or universities, fraternities, and sorori25 ties to assist them in providing fire sprinkler systems, or
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1 other fire suppression or prevention technologies, for their

2 student housing and dormitories.

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) APPLICATION.—Each entity desiring a grant

11 under this Act shall submit to the Secretary of Education

12 an application at such time and in such manner as the

13 Secretary may require.

14 (b) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this Act,

15 the Secretary shall give priority to applicants that dem16 onstrate in the application submitted under subsection (a)

17 the inability to fund the sprinkler system, or other fire

18 suppression or prevention technology, from sources other

19 than funds provided under this Act.

20 (c) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—

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

22 use more than 4 percent of the grant funds for administra23 tive expenses.

24 SEC. 6. DATA AND REPORT.

25 The Comptroller General shall—
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1 (1) gather data on the number of college and

2 university housing facilities and dormitories that

3 have and do not have fire sprinkler systems and

4 other fire suppression or prevention technologies;

5 and

6 (2) report such data to Congress.

7 SEC. 7. ADMISSIBILITY.

8 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any ap9 plication for assistance under this Act, any negative deter10 mination on the part of the Secretary of Education with

11 respect to such application, or any statement of reasons

12 for the determination, shall not be admissible as evidence

13 in any proceeding of any court, agency, board, or other

14 entity.

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