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while the House was in session and conducting a 
vote; five Members were struck by the gunfire. 
(3) In 1971, a group named the Weather Un-
derground planted an explosive device in a first-floor 
restroom in the Senate to protest United States mili-
tary involvement in the Vietnam War. The device 
detonated early in the morning when the building 
was closed, causing extensive damages but no inju-
ries. 
(4) In 1983, a man carrying an improvised ex-
plosive device strapped to his body entered the visi-
tors’ gallery of the House of Representatives while 
the House was in session. He was able to construct 
the device in such a manner as to avoid detection 
during security screening. During a floor debate, the 
man attempted to detonate the device until United 
States Capitol Police officers restrained him, re-
moved him from the gallery, and secured the device. 
(5) Also in 1983, a group named the Armed 
Resistance Unit planted an explosive device on the 
second floor of the Senate, outside the Senate 
Chamber, to protest United States military involve-
ment in Central America. The device detonated at 
11:00 p.m. causing extensive damage to the area 
around the Chamber. At the time, the Senate had
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already recessed and no one was in the area when 
the blast occurred. 
(6) On July 24, 1998, a lone gunman entered 
the Document Door of the Capitol and immediately 
shot and killed the officer posted at location. The 
gunman then exchanged gunfire with another officer 
before fleeing further into the building where he en-
gaged in another gunfight in which a second officer 
was killed. The gunman was shot several times dur-
ing this incident. 
(7) On the terrible and fateful morning of Sep-
tember 11, 2001, the people of the United States be-
came painfully aware of the destructive intent of ter-
rorists as well as the increasingly sophisticated and 
devastating methods by which they conduct their 
deadly work. Evidence strongly suggests Members of 
Congress were and continue to remain a terrorist 
target. 
(8) The visitors’ galleries of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Senate are the frequent target 
of demonstrators. Whenever the House or Senate is 
debating a subject that is controversial or polarizing, 
it is not uncommon for disturbances and acts of civil 
disobedience to occur in the galleries.
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(9) Since August 1996, the United States Cap-
itol Police have arrested three people in the visitors’ 
galleries of the House of Representatives and 15 
people in the visitors’ galleries of the Senate for dis-
rupting Congress. 
(10) In 2000, close to 3,000,000 people visited 
the Capitol and during the peak tourist season as 
many as 18,000 people visit each day. 
(11) In addition to Members and their staff, a 
sizable number of journalists, lobbyists, and service 
personnel also work within the Capitol complex. 
(12) These above-cited incidents and the large 
number of visitors and personnel present in the Cap-
itol have prompted increases in the level of security 
afforded the Capitol complex. 
SEC. 2. ENCLOSURE OF VISITORS’ GALLERIES OF THE 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 
(a) ENCLOSURE.—The Architect of the Capitol shall 
enclose the visitors’ galleries of the House of Representa-
tives with a transparent and substantial material, and 
shall install equipment so that the proceedings on the floor 
of the House of Representatives will be clearly audible in 
the galleries. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION.—There shall be paid out of the 
applicable accounts of the House of Representatives such
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sums as may be reasonably necessary to carry out this 
section. 
Æ