National Construction Safety Team Act
Latest action · Oct 1, 2002 Became Public Law No: 107-231.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 9, 2002
- Passed HouseJul 12, 2002
- Passed SenateSep 9, 2002
- To the PresidentSep 20, 2002
- Became lawOct 1, 2002
Summary
Declares the purpose of Team investigations to be to improve the safety and structural integrity of buildings in the United States. Requires Teams to: (1) establish the likely technical cause(s) of the building failure; (2) evaluate the technical aspects of evacuation and emergency response procedures; (3) recommend specific improvements to building standards, codes, and practices; (4) recommend research and other appropriate actions needed to improve the structural safety of buildings and evacuation and emergency response procedures; and (5) consist of at least one NIST employee and other experts who are not NIST employees.
Authorizes a Team, in investigating a building failure, to: (1) enter property where a building failure has occurred or where relevant materials are located; (2) inspect related records, facilities, and building components and materials; (3) move appropriate records, components, and materials; and (4) subpoena necessary witnesses and evidence. Requires a Team to: (1) conduct its actions in a way that does not interfere unnecessarily with building services or materials and that preserves evidence related to the building failure; (2) coordinate its investigations with search and rescue efforts and with qualified researchers conducting engineering or scientific research relating to the building failure; and (3) cooperate with State and local authorities carrying out any activities related to a Team's investigation. Directs NIST to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the head of each Federal agency that may conduct or sponsor a related investigation, providing for coordination of investigations. Grants a Team investigation priority over any other investigation of any other Federal agency, with the exception of related investigations conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board or building failures that may have been caused by criminal acts. Requires Teams to ensure that evidence of such criminal acts is preserved.
Requires: (1) the Director, on behalf of a Team, to hold public briefings on investigations, including final briefings after public reports required by this Act are issued; and (2) Teams to issue public reports after completing investigations, including an analysis of the cause of the building failure and any recommendations for changes to evacuation and emergency response procedures, improvements to building standards, and actions needed to prevent future failures. Requires NIST to review such reports, to conduct or encourage appropriate recommended research, and to promote adoption of Team recommendations by the Federal Government and other agencies and organizations.
Requires the Director to: (1) report to specified congressional committees on Team investigations and recommendations, including on the extent to which those recommendations have been implemented, and on NIST actions to improve building safety and structural integrity in response; and (2) establish an advisory committee to advise the Director on carrying out this Act and to review the procedures developed for the establishment and deployment of Teams and Team reports. Requires such advisory committee to transmit to such congressional committees annual reports that include: (1) an evaluation of Team activities, along with recommendations for improving Team operation and effectiveness; and (2) an assessment of the implementation of Team recommendations.
States that the authorities and restrictions applicable under this Act to the Director and Teams shall apply to the NIST's activities in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Authorizes NIST to use funds otherwise authorized by law to carry out this Act.
Recorded votes 1
Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.
| Roll call | Question | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House 295 | On Passage | Passed335–23 | Jul 12, 2002 |
Cosponsors 14
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 9, 2002 to Jun 4, 2002, with 11 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NY | Anthony D. Weiner | Original | May 9, 2002 |
| D-NC | Bob Etheridge | Original | May 9, 2002 |
| R-CT | Christopher Shays | Original | May 9, 2002 |
| R-MD | Constance A. Morella | Original | May 9, 2002 |
| R-NY | Felix J. Grucci Jr. | Original | May 9, 2002 |
| R-VA | J. Randy Forbes | Original | May 9, 2002 |
| D-MI | James A. Barcia | Original | May 9, 2002 |
| D-CA | Joe Baca | Original | May 9, 2002 |
| D-CT | John B. Larson | Original | May 9, 2002 |
| D-NY | Steve Israel | Original | May 9, 2002 |
| R-MI | Vernon J. Ehlers | Original | May 9, 2002 |
| D-CT | Rosa L. DeLauro | May 16, 2002 | |
| D-CO | Mark Udall | May 20, 2002 | |
| D-NY | Michael R. McNulty | Jun 4, 2002 |
Actions 34
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Oct 1, 2002Became Public Law No: 107-231.
- Oct 1, 2002Signed by President.
- Sep 20, 2002Presented to President.
- Sep 17, 2002DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment to H.R. 4687.
- Sep 17, 2002Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HRES 475 | Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4687) to provide for the establishment of investigative teams to assess building performance and emergency response and evacuation procedures in the wake of any building failure that has resulted in substantia | Procedurally related | Jul 12, 2002 |
| S 2496 | National Construction Safety Team Act of 2002 | Related bill | May 9, 2002 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Emergency Management.
- Accident prevention
- Administrative procedure
- Building construction
- Building laws
- Building materials
- Business records
- Commerce
- Conflict of interests
- Congress
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Criminal investigation
- Department of Commerce
- Earthquake engineering
- Emergency Management
- Evacuation of civilians
- Evidence (Law)
- Federal advisory bodies
- Federal-local relations
- Federal-state relations
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government paperwork
- Government publicity
- Governmental investigations
- Law
- Office buildings
- Public meetings of administrative bodies
- Rescue work
- Research
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Subpoena
- Transportation and Public Works
- Transportation safety
- Witnesses
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.
