To provide for disclosure of fire safety standards and measures with respect to campus buildings, and for other purposes.

July 9, 2003

Mr. PASCRELL (for himself, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. WALSH, Ms. NORTON, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. GREENWOOD, Mr. OWENS, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. SKELTON, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, and Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

To provide for disclosure of fire safety standards and measures with respect to campus buildings, 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 the `Campus Fire Safety Right-to-Know Act of 2003'.

SEC. 2. DISCLOSURE OF FIRE SAFETY OF CAMPUS BUILDINGS.

Section 485 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1092) is amended--

(1) in subsection (a)(1)--

(A) by striking `and' at the end of subparagraph (N);

(B) by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (O) and inserting `; and'; and

(C) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:

`(P) the fire safety report prepared by the institution pursuant to subsection (h).'; and

(2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:

`(h) DISCLOSURE OF FIRE SAFETY STANDARDS AND MEASURES-

`(1) ANNUAL FIRE SAFETY REPORTS REQUIRED- Each eligible institution participating in any program under this title shall, beginning in academic year 2004-2005, and each year thereafter, prepare, publish, and distribute, through appropriate publications (including the Internet) or mailings, to all current students and employees, and to any applicant for enrollment or employment upon request, an annual fire safety report containing at least the following information with respect to the campus fire safety practices and standards of that institution:

`(A) A statement that identifies each student housing facility of the institution, and whether or not that facility is equipped with a fire sprinkler system or other fire safety systems, or both.

`(B) Statistics concerning the occurrence on campus, during the 2 preceding academic years for which data are available, of fires and false fire alarms in student housing facilities.

`(C) For each such occurrence, a statement of the human injuries or deaths and the structural damage caused by the occurrence.

`(D) Information regarding fire alarms, smoke alarms, the presence of adequate fire escape planning or protocols (as defined in local fire codes), rules on portable electrical appliances, smoking and open flames (such as candles), regular mandatory supervised fire drills, and planned and future improvement in fire safety.

`(E) Information about fire safety education and training provided to students, faculty, and staff, including the percentage of students, faculty, and staff who have participated in such education and training.

`(F) Information concerning fire safety at student fraternities and sororities that are recognized by the institution, including--

`(i) information reported to the institution under paragraph (4); and

`(ii) a statement concerning whether and how the institution works with recognized student fraternities and sororities to make building and property owned or controlled by such fraternities or sororities more fire safe.

`(2) CURRENT INFORMATION TO CAMPUS COMMUNITY- Each institution participating in any program under this title shall make, keep, and maintain a log, written in a form that can be easily understood, recording all fires reported to local fire departments, including the nature, date, time, and general location of each fire and all false fire alarms. All entries that are required pursuant to this paragraph shall, except where disclosure of such information is prohibited by law, be open to public inspection, and each such institution shall make periodic reports to the campus community on such fires and false fire alarms in a manner that will aid the prevention of similar occurrences.

`(3) REPORTS TO SECRETARY- On an annual basis, each institution participating in any program under this title shall submit to the Secretary a copy of the statistics required to be made available under paragraph (1)(B). The Secretary shall--

`(A) review such statistics;

`(B) make copies of the statistics submitted to the Secretary available to the public; and

`(C) in coordination with nationally recognized fire organizations and representatives of institutions of higher education, identify exemplary fire safety policies, procedures, and practices and disseminate information concerning those policies, procedures, and practices that have proven effective in the reduction of campus fires.

`(4) FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES- Each institution participating in a program under this title shall request each fraternity and sorority that is recognized by the institution to collect and report to the institution the information described in subparagraphs (A) through (E) of paragraph (1), as applied to the fraternity or sorority, for each building and property owned or controlled by the fraternity or sorority, respectively.

`(5) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION- Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to authorize the Secretary to require particular policies, procedures, or practices by institutions of higher education with respect to fire safety.

`(6) DEFINITIONS- In this subsection, the term `campus' has the meaning provided in subsection (f)(6).'.

SEC. 3. REPORT TO CONGRESS BY SECRETARY OF EDUCATION.

Within two years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall prepare and submit to the Congress a report containing--

(1) an analysis of the current status of fire safety systems in college and university facilities, including sprinkler systems;

(2) an analysis of the appropriate fire safety standards to apply to these facilities, which the Secretary shall prepare after consultation with such fire safety experts, representatives of institutions of higher education, and other Federal agencies as the Secretary, in the Secretary's discretion, considers appropriate;

(3) an estimate of the cost of bringing all nonconforming dormitories and other campus buildings up to current new building codes; and

(4) recommendations from the Secretary concerning the best means of meeting fire safety standards in all college facilities, including recommendations for methods to fund such cost.

END