Federal Bird-Safe Buildings Act of 2017
Latest action · May 19, 2017 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 18, 2017
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Federal Bird-Safe Buildings Act of 2017
This bill 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, or any 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.
GSA must: (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.
The bill exempts historic buildings of national significance, the White House and its grounds, the Supreme Court building and its grounds, and the U.S. Capitol and its related buildings and grounds from the provisions of this bill.
Cosponsors 27
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 18, 2017 to Nov 29, 2018; 16 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-RI | David N. Cicilline | Original | May 18, 2017 |
| D-VA | Donald S. Beyer, Jr. | Original | May 18, 2017 |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Original | May 18, 2017 |
| R-VA | H. Morgan Griffith | Original | May 18, 2017 |
| D-CA | Jackie Speier | Original | May 18, 2017 |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Original | May 18, 2017 |
| D-RI | James R. Langevin | Original | May 18, 2017 |
| D-CA | Jared Huffman | Original | May 18, 2017 |
| D-CA | Jerry McNerney | Original | May 18, 2017 |
| R-NY | Lee M. Zeldin | Original | May 18, 2017 |
| D-IL | Luis V. Gutierrez | Original | May 18, 2017 |
| D-PA | Matt Cartwright | Original | May 18, 2017 |
| D-MA | Michael E. Capuano | Original | May 18, 2017 |
| D-AZ | Ruben Gallego | Original | May 18, 2017 |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | Original | May 18, 2017 |
| D-WA | Suzan K. DelBene | Original | May 18, 2017 |
| D-CA | Adam B. Schiff | May 24, 2017 | |
| D-CO | Jared Polis | May 24, 2017 | |
| D-IL | Janice D. Schakowsky | May 30, 2017 | |
| R-NY | Daniel M. Donovan, Jr. | Jun 6, 2017 | |
| D-NM | Michelle Lujan Grisham | Dec 12, 2017 | |
| D-OR | Earl Blumenauer | Jan 8, 2018 | |
| D-NH | Carol Shea-Porter | Jan 11, 2018 | |
| D-OH | Marcy Kaptur | May 3, 2018 | |
| D-MN | Betty McCollum | May 25, 2018 | |
| D-NV | Dina Titus | Jun 26, 2018 | |
| D-CA | Zoe Lofgren | Nov 29, 2018 |
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 18, 2017 |
| Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee | Referred May 19, 2017 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 19, 2017Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
- May 18, 2017Introduced in House
- May 18, 2017Referred 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. 163, no. 86, May 18, 2017, page H4359.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1920 | Federal Bird-Safe Buildings Act of 2017 | Related bill | Oct 4, 2017 |
| HR 2280 | Federal Bird-Safe Buildings Act of 2015 | Reintroduction of | May 13, 2015 |
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 2017
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 18, 2017Introduced 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.
