Title: Evan's Law
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Evan's Law
This bill requires the military department concerned to ensure that any window of a military family housing unit the bottom sill of which is within 36 inches of the floor is equipped with fall prevention devices that protect against unintentional falls by young children and that comply with applicable International Building Code (IBC) standards.
Each department must brief the House Committee on Armed Services on the implementation of such requirement and include in the briefing: (1) a plan to retrofit existing military family housing units to meet such requirement; (2) the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of expanding such requirement to apply to windows with higher sills, modifying such requirement to require windows to be equipped with additional fall prevention devices that meet specified criteria, or extending such requirement to private housing leased or otherwise used by military families; and (3) the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of other potential methods to protect against unintentional window falls by young children in military family housing units.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3049 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3049

   To amend title 10, United States Code, to require the windows in 
   military family housing units to be equipped with fall prevention 
devices that protect against unintentional falls by young children, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 23, 2017

  Mr. Turner introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 10, United States Code, to require the windows in 
   military family housing units to be equipped with fall prevention 
devices that protect against unintentional falls by young children, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as ``Evan's Law''.

SEC. 2. REQUIREMENTS FOR WINDOW FALL PREVENTION DEVICES IN MILITARY 
              FAMILY HOUSING.

    (a) Requirement.--Chapter 169 of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 2878 the following new section:
``Sec. 2879. Window fall prevention devices in military family housing 
              units
    ``(a) Requiring Use of Devices on Certain Windows.--The Secretary 
concerned shall ensure that if a window in any military family housing 
unit acquired or constructed under this chapter is described in 
subsection (b), including a window designed for emergency escape or 
rescue, the window is equipped with fall prevention devices that 
protect against unintentional window falls by young children and that 
are in compliance with applicable International Building Code (IBC) 
standards.
    ``(b) Windows Described.--A window is described in this subsection 
if the bottom sill of the window is within 36 inches of the floor, as 
measured in the interior of the unit.''.
    (b) Briefing on Implementation.--Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of each military 
department shall brief the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
Representatives on the implementation of section 2879 of title 10, 
United States Code (as added by subsection (a)), and include in the 
briefing the following:
            (1) The extent to which the Secretary is in compliance with 
        the requirements of such section.
            (2) A plan for the retrofitting of existing military family 
        housing units to enable the units to meet the requirements of 
        such section.
            (3) The feasibility and cost-effectiveness of expanding the 
        requirements of such section to apply to windows for which the 
        bottom sill--
                    (A) is within 42 inches of the floor, as measured 
                in the interior of the unit; or
                    (B) is 72 inches or more above the ground, as 
                measured on the exterior of the unit.
            (4) The feasibility and cost-effectiveness of modifying the 
        requirements of such section to require windows to be equipped 
        with fall prevention devices that meet the following 
        requirements:
                    (A) The device attaches to the window frame and 
                covers the entire opening with materials of sufficient 
                strength to withstand 60 pounds (27 kg) of force.
                    (B) The device allows protection in case of a fully 
                opened window.
                    (C) The device prohibits the passage of a 4-inch 
                rigid sphere anywhere in the window opening.
                    (D) The device has a 2-step release mechanism 
                that--
                            (i) allows the window to be fully opened 
                        for emergency escape or rescue with no more 
                        than 15 lb ft of force;
                            (ii) requires 2 distinct actions to 
                        operate;
                            (iii) is clearly identified for use in an 
                        emergency; and
                            (iv) is not designed in a manner which 
                        accommodates the use of locking devices which 
                        require special tools or knowledge to operate, 
                        such as combination locks or keyed locks.
            (5) The feasibility and cost-effectiveness of extending the 
        requirements of such section to private housing leased or 
        otherwise used by military families.
            (6) The feasibility and cost-effectiveness of other 
        potential methods to protect against unintentional window falls 
        by young children in military family housing units.
    (c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 169 of 
such title is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
2878 the following new item:

``2879. Window fall prevention devices in military family housing 
                            units.''.
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