Federal Bird-Safe Buildings Act of 2015
Latest action · May 13, 2015 Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
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 12, 2015
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Federal Bird-Safe Buildings Act of 2015
Requires each public building constructed, substantially altered, or acquired by the General Services Administration (GSA) to meet the following standards:
- at least 90% of the exposed facade material from ground level to 40 feet shall not be composed of glass or shall be composed of glass employing elements that preclude bird collisions without completely obscuring vision, ultraviolet (UV) patterned glass that contains UV-reflective or contrasting patterns that are visible to birds, patterns on glass designed in accordance with a rule that restricts horizontal spaces to less than 2 inches high and vertical spaces to less than 4 inches wide, opaque, etched, stained, frosted, or translucent glass, orany combination of these methods (modified glass);
- at least 60% of the exposed facade material above 40 feet shall meet such glass standard;
- there shall not be any transparent passageways or corners;
- all glass adjacent to atria or courtyards containing water features, plants, and other materials attractive to birds shall meet the modified glass standard; and
- outside lighting shall be appropriately shielded and minimized.
Directs GSA to: (1) ensure that actual bird mortality is monitored at each public building; and (2) reduce exterior building and site lighting for each public building, where practicable.
Exempts historic buildings of national significance, the White House and its grounds, the Supreme Court building and its grounds, or the U.S. Capitol and its related buildings and grounds.
Cosponsors 27
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 12, 2015 to Nov 15, 2016; 7 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NY | Charles B. Rangel | Original | May 12, 2015 |
| D-VA | Gerald E. Connolly | Original | May 12, 2015 |
| R-VA | H. Morgan Griffith | Original | May 12, 2015 |
| D-MI | John Conyers, Jr. | Original | May 12, 2015 |
| D-NY | Paul Tonko | Original | May 12, 2015 |
| D-AZ | Raúl M. Grijalva | Original | May 12, 2015 |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | Original | May 12, 2015 |
| D-PA | Matt Cartwright | May 14, 2015 | |
| D-WI | Ron Kind | May 14, 2015 | |
| D-CA | Jerry McNerney | May 18, 2015 | |
| D-CA | Zoe Lofgren | May 21, 2015 | |
| D-MA | Stephen F. Lynch | Jun 9, 2015 | |
| D-RI | David N. Cicilline | Jun 10, 2015 | |
| D-VA | Donald S. Beyer, Jr. | Jun 17, 2015 | |
| D-NC | David E. Price | Jun 24, 2015 | |
| D-OH | Joyce Beatty | Jun 24, 2015 | |
| D-IL | Janice D. Schakowsky | Jul 7, 2015 | |
| D-CA | Lucille Roybal-Allard | Jul 22, 2015 | |
| D-WA | Suzan K. DelBene | Sep 10, 2015 | |
| D-CA | Adam B. Schiff | Sep 17, 2015 | |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Sep 24, 2015 | |
| D-CA | Anna G. Eshoo | Nov 16, 2015 | |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Apr 13, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Sep 7, 2016 | |
| D-MN | Keith Ellison | Sep 14, 2016 | |
| R-NY | Lee M. Zeldin | Sep 27, 2016 | |
| D-WA | Adam Smith | Nov 15, 2016 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Transportation and Infrastructure Committee | Referred May 12, 2015 |
| Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee | Referred May 13, 2015 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 13, 2015Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
- May 12, 2015Introduced in House
- May 12, 2015Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 161, no. 72, May 12, 2015, page H2878.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 2542 | Federal Bird-Safe Buildings Act of 2017 | Reintroduced Bill | May 19, 2017 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend title 40, United States Code, to direct the Administrator of General Services to incorporate bird-safe building materials and design features into public buildings, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Federal Bird-Safe Buildings Act of 2015
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 12, 2015Introduced in House
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; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
