II 
Calendar No. 546 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7077 
[Report No. 117–195] 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
MAY 12, 2022 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs 
NOVEMBER 14, 2022 
Reported by Mr. PETERS, without amendment 
AN ACT 
To require the United States Fire Administration to conduct 
on-site investigations of major fires, 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 ‘‘Empowering the U.S. 
Fire Administration Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FIRE 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: 
‘‘SEC. 38. INVESTIGATION AUTHORITIES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In the case of any major fire, 
the Administrator may send incident investigators, which 
may include safety specialists, fire protection engineers, 
codes and standards experts, researchers, and fire training 
specialists, to the site of the fire to conduct an investiga-
tion as described in subsection (b). 
‘‘(b) INVESTIGATION REQUIRED.—A fire investiga-
tion conducted under this section— 
‘‘(1) shall be conducted in coordination and co-
operation with appropriate Federal, State, and local 
authorities, including Federal agencies that are au-
thorized to investigate a major fire or an incident of 
which the major fire is a part; and 
‘‘(2) shall examine the determined cause and 
origin of the fire and assess broader systematic mat-
ters to include use of codes and standards, demo-
graphics, structural characteristics, smoke and fire 
dynamics (movement) during the event, and costs of 
associated injuries and deaths. 
‘‘(c) REPORT.—Upon concluding any fire investiga-
tion under this section, the Administrator shall issue a 
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public report to local, State, and Federal authorities on 
the findings of such investigation, or collaborate with an-
other investigating Federal agency on that agency’s re-
port, including recommendations on— 
‘‘(1) any other buildings with similar character-
istics that may bear similar fire risks; 
‘‘(2) improving tactical response to similar fires; 
‘‘(3) improving civilian safety practices; 
‘‘(4) assessing the costs and benefits to the 
community of adding fire safety features; and 
‘‘(5) how to mitigate the causes of such fire. 
‘‘(d) DISCRETIONARY AUTHORITY.—In addition to 
investigations conducted pursuant to subsection (a), the 
Administrator may send fire investigators to conduct in-
vestigations at the site of any fire with unusual or remark-
able context that results in losses less severe than those 
occurring as a result of a major fire, in coordination with 
appropriate Federal, State, and local authorities, including 
Federal agencies that are authorized to investigate a 
major fire or an incident of which the major fire is a part. 
‘‘(e) MAJOR FIRE DEFINED.—For purposes of this 
section, the term ‘major fire’ shall have the meaning given 
such term under regulations to be issued by the Adminis-
trator.’’. 
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Calendar No. 546 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7077 
[Report No. 117–195] 
AN ACT 
To require the United States Fire Administration 
to conduct on-site investigations of major fires, 
and for other purposes. 
NOVEMBER 14, 2022 
Reported without amendment 
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