I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2542 
To amend title 40, United States Code, to direct the Administrator of General 
Services to incorporate bird-safe building materials and design features 
into public buildings, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 18, 2017 
Mr. QUIGLEY (for himself, Mr. GRIFFITH, Mr. ZELDIN, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. 
HUFFMAN, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Mr. MCGOV-
ERN, Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. GUTIE´RREZ, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. COHEN, Mr. 
BEYER, Ms. DELBENE, Ms. NORTON, and Mr. LANGEVIN) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To amend title 40, United States Code, to direct the Admin-
istrator of General Services to incorporate bird-safe 
building materials and design features into public build-
ings, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Federal Bird-Safe 
Buildings Act of 2017’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Nearly one-third of the 800 bird species in 
the United States are endangered, threatened, or in 
significant decline. 
(2) In the United States alone, an estimated 1 
billion birds die annually from striking buildings, 
bridges, and other manmade structures, with glass 
being one of the primary causes of the deaths. 
(3) Birds have a significant impact on the 
United States economy, as evidenced by United 
States Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that the 
47 million birdwatchers in the United States con-
tribute $40 billion annually to the Nation’s economy. 
(4) The General Services Administration is obli-
gated, under Executive Order 13186, to ‘‘support 
the conservation intent of the migratory bird conven-
tions by integrating bird conservation principles, 
measures, and practices into agency activities and by 
avoiding or minimizing, to the extent practicable, ad-
verse impacts on migratory bird resources when con-
ducting agency actions’’. 
SEC. 3. USE OF BIRD-SAFE BUILDING MATERIALS AND DE-
SIGN FEATURES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 33 of title 40, United 
States Code, is amended— 
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(1) by redesignating sections 3314, 3315, and 
3316 as sections 3315, 3316, and 3317, respectively; 
and 
(2) by inserting after section 3313 the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘§ 3314. Use of bird-safe building materials and de-
sign features 
‘‘(a) CONSTRUCTION, ALTERATION, AND ACQUISI-
TION OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS.—Each public building con-
structed, substantially altered (in the opinion of the Com-
missioner of Public Buildings), or acquired by the Admin-
istrator of General Services shall meet, to the maximum 
extent practicable, as determined by the Administrator, 
the following standards: 
‘‘(1) At least 90 percent of the exposed facade 
material from ground level to 40 feet— 
‘‘(A) shall not be composed of glass; or 
‘‘(B) shall be composed of glass employ-
ing— 
‘‘(i) elements that preclude bird colli-
sions without completely obscuring vision, 
such 
as 
secondary 
facades, 
netting, 
screens, shutters, and exterior shades; 
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‘‘(ii) ultraviolet (UV) patterned glass 
that contains UV-reflective or contrasting 
patterns that are visible to birds; 
‘‘(iii) patterns on glass designed in ac-
cordance with a rule that restricts hori-
zontal spaces to less than 2 inches high 
and vertical spaces to less than 4 inches 
wide, commonly referred to as the ‘2 × 4 
rule’; 
‘‘(iv) opaque, etched, stained, frosted, 
or translucent glass; or 
‘‘(v) any combination of the methods 
described in this subparagraph. 
‘‘(2) At least 60 percent of the exposed facade 
material above 40 feet shall meet the standard de-
scribed in paragraph (1)(A) or (1)(B). 
‘‘(3) There shall not be any transparent pas-
sageways or corners. 
‘‘(4) All glass adjacent to atria or courtyards 
containing water features, plants, and other mate-
rials attractive to birds shall meet the standard de-
scribed in paragraph (1)(B). 
‘‘(5) Outside lighting shall be appropriately 
shielded and minimized. 
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‘‘(b) MONITORING.—The Administrator shall take 
such actions as may be necessary to ensure that actual 
bird mortality is monitored at each public building. 
‘‘(c) EXISTING BUILDINGS AND LIGHTING.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, where 
practicable, as determined by the Administrator, 
shall reduce exterior building and site lighting for 
each public building. 
‘‘(2) USE
OF
AUTOMATIC
CONTROL
TECH-
NOLOGIES.—In carrying out paragraph (1), the Ad-
ministrator shall make use of automatic control 
technologies, including timers, photo-sensors, and in-
frared and motion detectors. 
‘‘(d) EXEMPT BUILDINGS.—This section shall not 
apply to— 
‘‘(1) a historic building of national significance 
within the meaning of the Act of August 21, 1935 
(16 U.S.C. 461 et seq.; commonly known as the His-
toric Sites, Buildings, and Antiquities Act); 
‘‘(2) the White House and its grounds; 
‘‘(3) the Supreme Court building and its 
grounds; or 
‘‘(4) the United States Capitol and its related 
buildings and grounds.’’. 
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