(1) On March 2, 2006, a fire destroyed a resi-
dence hall at Salve Regina University in Newport, 
Rhode Island. 
(2) On January 24, 2006, a college-owned 
home at Monmouth College in Illinois was destroyed 
by a fire, displacing five students. 
(3) On October 8, 2005, a security officer, rath-
er than fire alarms, alerted 22 occupants of a resi-
dence hall at Taylor University in Fort Wayne, Indi-
ana to an early-morning fire. Due to the extensive 
amount of damage, all residents were forced to relo-
cate to other rooms on campus. 
(4) On April 26, 2005, a fire at Southern Ad-
ventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee claimed 
the life of Kelly Weimer, a junior English major 
from Woodridge, Illinois. Occurring in the kitchen-
ette and lounge area of Thatcher Hall, a three-story 
women’s residence hall, the cause of the fire remains 
to be determined. 
(5) On March 23, 2005, a morning fire at a 
George Washington University residence hall left a 
freshman in critical condition. According to officials, 
the fire most likely began around 5:00 a.m. in a 
room on the top floor of Thurston Hall, a nine-story 
building which housed 1,000 freshmen. Four rooms 
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were damaged by the fire. The building was not 
equipped with sprinkler systems in each room. 
(6) According to the Center for Campus Fire 
Safety, a non-profit organization which compiles in-
formation on campus-related fires, 99 people have 
been killed in student housing nationwide since Jan-
uary 2000. 
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF FIRE SUPPRESSION DEM-
ONSTRATION INCENTIVE PROGRAM. 
(a) GRANTS.—The Secretary of Education (in this 
Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’), in consultation with 
the United States Fire Administration, shall establish a 
demonstration program to award grants on a competitive 
basis to eligible entities for the purpose of installing fire 
sprinkler systems, or other fire suppression or prevention 
technologies, in student housing and dormitories owned or 
controlled by such entities. 
(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—For purposes of this Act, the 
term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means any of the following: 
(1) An accredited public or private institution 
of higher education (as that term is defined in sec-
tion 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1001)). 
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(2) An accredited historically Black college or 
university (as that term is used in section 322 of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061)). 
(3) An accredited Hispanic-serving institution 
(as that term is defined in section 502 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a)). 
(4) An accredited tribally controlled college or 
university (as that term is defined in section 2 of the 
Tribally Controlled College or University Assistance 
Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1801)). 
(5) A social fraternity or sorority exempt from 
taxation under section 501(a) of the Internal Rev-
enue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 501(a)), the active 
membership of which consists primarily of students 
in attendance at an accredited institution of higher 
education. 
(c) SELECTION PRIORITY.—In making grants under 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall give priority to eligible 
entities that demonstrate the greatest financial need. 
(d) RESERVATIONS.—Of the amount made available 
to the Secretary for grants under this section for each fis-
cal year, the Secretary shall award— 
(1) not less than 10 percent to eligible entities 
that are historically Black colleges and universities, 
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Hispanic-serving institutions, and tribally controlled 
colleges and universities; and 
(2) not less than 10 percent to eligible entities 
that are social fraternities and sororities. 
(e) APPLICATION.—To seek a grant under this sec-
tion, an eligible entity shall submit an application to the 
Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied 
by such information as the Secretary may require. 
(f) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—As a condition on re-
ceipt of a grant under subsection (a), the applicant shall 
provide (directly or through donations from public or pri-
vate entities) non-Federal matching funds in an amount 
equal to not less than 50 percent of the cost of the activi-
ties for which assistance is sought. 
(g) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.— 
Not more than 10 percent of a grant made under sub-
section (a) may be expended for administrative expenses 
with respect to the grant. 
(h) REPORTS.—Not later than 12 months after the 
date of the first award of a grant under this section and 
annually thereafter until completion of the program, the 
Secretary shall provide to the Congress a report that in-
cludes the following: 
(1) The number and types of eligible entities re-
ceiving assistance under this section. 
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(2) The amounts of such assistance, the 
amounts and sources of non-Federal funding lever-
aged for activities under grants under this section, 
and any other relevant financial information. 
(3) The number and types of student housing 
fitted with fire suppression or prevention tech-
nologies with assistance under this section, and the 
number of students protected by such technologies. 
(4) The types of fire suppression or prevention 
technologies installed with assistance under this sec-
tion, and the costs of such technologies. 
(5) Identification of Federal and State policies 
that present impediments to the development and in-
stallation of fire suppression or prevention tech-
nologies. 
(6) Any other information determined by the 
Secretary to be useful to evaluating the overall effec-
tiveness of the program established under this sec-
tion in improving the fire safety of student housing. 
(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$100,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 
2011. At the end of fiscal year 2011, all unobligated ap-
propriations authorized under this subsection shall revert 
to the general fund of the Treasury. 
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