In the Senate of the United States, 
December 6, 2022. 
Resolved, That the bill from the House of Representa-
tives (H.R. 7077) entitled ‘‘An Act to require the United 
States Fire Administration to conduct on-site investigations 
of major fires, and for other purposes.’’, do pass with the fol-
lowing 
AMENDMENT: 
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following: 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Empowering the U.S. 
Fire Administration Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FIRE SAFETY INVESTIGATIONS. 
The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 
(15 U.S.C. 2201 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:
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‘‘SEC. 38. INVESTIGATION AUTHORITIES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a major fire, the 
Administrator may send incident investigators, which may 
include safety specialists, fire protection engineers, codes 
and standards experts, researchers, and fire training spe-
cialists, to the site of the fire to conduct a fire safety inves-
tigation as described in subsection (b). 
‘‘(b) INVESTIGATION REQUIRED.—A fire safety inves-
tigation conducted under this section— 
‘‘(1) shall be conducted in coordination and co-
operation with appropriate Federal, State, local, 
Tribal, and territorial authorities, including Federal 
agencies that are authorized to investigate any fire; 
and 
‘‘(2) shall examine the previously determined 
cause and origin of the fire and assess broader sys-
tematic matters to include use of codes and standards, 
demographics, structural characteristics, smoke and 
fire dynamics (movement) during the event, and costs 
of associated injuries and deaths. 
‘‘(c) REPORT.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
upon concluding any fire safety investigation under 
this section, the Administrator shall— 
‘‘(A) issue a public report to the appro-
priate Federal, State, local, Tribal, and terri-
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torial authorities on the findings of such inves-
tigation; or 
‘‘(B) collaborate with another investigating 
Federal, State, local, Tribal, or territorial agen-
cy on the report of that agency. 
‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—If the Administrator, in con-
sultation with appropriate Federal, State, local, Trib-
al, and territorial authorities determines that issuing 
a report under paragraph (1) would have a negative 
impact on a potential or ongoing criminal investiga-
tion, the Administrator is not required to issue such 
report. 
‘‘(3) CONTENTS.—Each public report issued 
under paragraph (1) shall include recommendations 
on— 
‘‘(A) any other buildings with similar char-
acteristics that may bear similar fire risks; 
‘‘(B) improving tactical response to similar 
fires; 
‘‘(C) improving civilian safety practices; 
‘‘(D) assessing the costs and benefits to the 
community of adding fire safety features; and 
‘‘(E) how to mitigate the causes of the fire. 
‘‘(d) DISCRETIONARY AUTHORITY.—In addition to a 
fire safety investigation conducted pursuant to subsection
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(a), provided doing so would not have a negative impact 
on a potential or ongoing criminal investigation, the Ad-
ministrator may send fire investigators to conduct a fire 
safety investigation at the site of any fire with unusual or 
remarkable context that results in losses less severe than 
those occurring as a result of a major fire, in coordination 
and cooperation with the appropriate Federal, State, local, 
Tribal, and territorial authorities, including Federal agen-
cies that are authorized to investigate the fire. 
‘‘(e) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to— 
‘‘(1) affect or otherwise diminish the authorities 
or the mandates vested in other Federal agencies; 
‘‘(2) grant the Administrator authority to inves-
tigate a major fire for the purpose of an enforcement 
action or criminal prosecution; or 
‘‘(3) require the Administrator to send investiga-
tors or issue a report for a major fire when the Ad-
ministrator, in coordination and cooperation with the 
appropriate Federal, State, local, Tribal, and terri-
torial authorities, determine that it may compromise 
a potential or ongoing criminal investigation.
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‘‘(f) MAJOR FIRE DEFINED.—For purposes of this sec-
tion, the term ‘major fire’ shall have the meaning given such 
term under regulations to be issued by the Administrator.’’. 
Attest: 
Secretary.