I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5969 
To establish a grant program to provide amounts to public housing agencies 
to install automatic sprinkler systems in public housing, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 25, 2020 
Mr. ROSE of New York (for himself, Mr. KING of New York, Ms. NORTON, 
and Mr. GRIJALVA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To establish a grant program to provide amounts to public 
housing agencies to install automatic sprinkler systems 
in public housing, 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 ‘‘Public Housing Fire 
Safety Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act— 
(1) the term ‘‘automatic sprinkler system’’ has 
the meaning given the term in section 31(a) of the 
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Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 
(15 U.S.C. 2227(a)); 
(2) the term ‘‘Capital Fund’’ means the Capital 
Fund established under section 9(d) of the United 
States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437g(d)); 
(3) the term ‘‘exempted public housing project’’ 
means a public housing project that— 
(A) is not a newly constructed multifamily 
property, as defined in section 31(c)(2)(A)(ii) of 
the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 
1974 (15 U.S.C. 2227(c)(2)(A)(ii)); and 
(B) is not subject to the requirements 
under section 31(c) of the Federal Fire Preven-
tion and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 
2227(c)); 
(4) the terms ‘‘public housing’’ and ‘‘public 
housing agency’’ have the meanings given those 
terms in section 3(b) of the United States Housing 
Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)); and 
(5) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Housing and Urban Development. 
SEC. 3. INSPECTIONS OF PUBLIC HOUSING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—With respect to inspections of 
public housing conducted by the Secretary, including 
through the Real Estate Assessment Center, the Secretary 
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shall report on the presence or absence of automatic sprin-
kler systems in the public housing project. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall, based on 
inspections of public housing conducted during the 3-year 
period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, sub-
mit to Congress a report on the presence or absence of 
automatic sprinkler systems in public housing, in par-
ticular in exempted public housing projects, which shall 
include recommendations to improve fire safety in exempt-
ed public housing projects. 
(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion shall be construed to require a public housing agency 
to install an automatic sprinkler system in an exempted 
public housing project. 
SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM TO RETROFIT PUBLIC HOUSING 
WITH AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEMS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish 
a competitive grant program under which the Secretary 
shall award grants to public housing agencies to install 
automatic sprinkler systems in exempted public housing 
projects. 
(b) LIMITATION.—A public housing agency may not 
use amounts received under this section to install auto-
matic sprinkler systems in a rebuilt multifamily property, 
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as defined in section 31(c)(2)(A)(iii) of the Federal Fire 
Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 
2227(c)(2)(A)(iii)). 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In addi-
tion to amounts appropriated to the Capital Fund under 
any other provision of law, there is authorized to be appro-
priated to the Capital Fund $25,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2020 through 2029 to carry out this section. 
Æ 
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