The following bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate on
Thursday, February 24, 2000.

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S 2100 IS - 106th CONGRESS - 2d Session

S. 2100
To provide for fire sprinkler systems in public and private college and
university housing and dormitories, including fraternity and sorority
housing and dormitories.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

February 24, 2000
Mr. EDWARDS (for himself, Mr. LAUTENBERG, and Mr. TORRICELLI)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
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A BILL
To provide for fire sprinkler systems in public and private college and
 university housing and dormitories, including fraternity and sorority
housing and dormitories.

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 `College Fire Prevention Act'.

SEC 2. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:

(1) On Wednesday, January 19, 2000, a fire occurred at a Seton Hall
University dormitory. Three male freshmen, all 18 years of age, died.
Fifty-four students, 2 South Orange firefighters, and 2 South Orange police
officers were injured. The dormitory was a 6-story, 350-room structure built
in 1952, that housed approximately 600 students. It was equipped with smoke
alarms but no fire sprinkler system.

(2) On Mother's Day 1996 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a fire in the Phi
Gamma Delta Fraternity House killed 5 college juniors and injured 3. The
3-story plus basement fraternity house was 70 years old. The National Fire
Protection Association identified several factors that contributed to the tragic
fire, including the lack of fire sprinkler protection.

(3) It is estimated that in a typical year between 1980 and 1997, there were
 an average of 1,800 fires at dormitories, fraternities, and sororities, involving 1
death, 69 injuries, and $8,100,000 in property damage.

(4) Within dormitories the number 1 cause of fires is arson or suspected arson.
 The second leading cause of college building fires is cooking, while the third
leading cause is smoking.

(5) The National Fire Protection Association has no record of a fire killing
more than 2 people in a completely fire sprinklered public assembly,
educational, institutional, or residential building where the sprinkler system
 was operating properly.

(6) New dormitories are generally required to have advanced safety systems
 such as fire sprinklers. But such requirements are rarely imposed retroactively
on existing buildings.

(7) In 1997, over 90 percent of the campus building fires reported to fire
departments occurred in buildings where there were smoke alarms present.
However, only 28 percent had fire sprinklers present.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $100,000,000
for each of the fiscal years 2001 through 2005.

SEC. 4. GRANTS AUTHORIZED.

(a) PROGRAM AUTHORITY- The Secretary of Education, in consultation
with the United States Fire Administration, is authorized to award grants,
on a competitive basis, to States, private or public colleges or universities,
fraternities, or sororities to assist them in providing fire sprinkler systems for
their student housing and dormitories.

(b) MATCHING FUNDS REQUIREMENT- The Secretary of Education may
not award a grant under this section unless the entity receiving the grant
provides, from State, local, or private sources, matching funds in an amount
equal to not less than one-half of the cost of the activities for which assistance
is sought.

SEC. 5. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.

(a) AWARD BASIS- In awarding grants under this Act the Secretary of
Education shall take into consideration various fire safety factors and
conditions that the Secretary determines appropriate.

(b) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES- An entity that
receives a grant under this Act shall not use more than 4 percent of the grant
funds for administrative expenses.

SEC. 6. DATA AND REPORT.

The Comptroller General shall--

(1) gather data on the number of college and university housing facilities and
dormitories that have and do not have fire sprinkler systems and other forms of built-in fire protection mechanisms; and

(2) report such data to Congress.