Federal Bird-Safe Buildings Act of 2017
Latest action · Oct 4, 2017 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
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.
- IntroducedOct 4, 2017
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot 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 grounds, the Supreme Court building and grounds, and the U.S. Capitol and related buildings and grounds from the provisions of this bill.
Cosponsors 2
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 16, 2018 to Aug 16, 2018.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NM | Tom Udall | Jan 16, 2018 | |
| D-NM | Martin Heinrich | Aug 16, 2018 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Environment and Public Works Committee | Referred Oct 4, 2017 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Oct 4, 2017Introduced in Senate
- Oct 4, 2017Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
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 | Related bill | May 19, 2017 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill 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.
- Oct 4, 2017Introduced in Senate
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.
