Bill Summary
This legislation, known as the Federal Bird Safe Buildings Act of 2023, aims to amend title 40 of the United States Code in order to direct the Administrator of General Services to incorporate practices and strategies to reduce bird fatality resulting from collisions with certain public buildings. This would apply to all new construction, acquisitions, and major facade alterations of public buildings. The Administrator would be responsible for developing a design guide that includes features, methods, and best practices for mitigating bird collisions, and would be required to update this guide regularly. Some exemptions to this requirement include historic buildings and certain government buildings. The Administrator would also be required to report on compliance and make recommendations for reducing bird fatalities.
Possible Impacts
1. The legislation could affect architects and builders who are responsible for constructing public buildings, as they would need to incorporate features and strategies to reduce bird fatalities into their designs. This could potentially increase the cost and time of construction projects.
2. The legislation could also affect the general public by potentially reducing the risk of bird collisions with public buildings. This could help protect various bird species and contribute to overall conservation efforts.
3. The legislation could impact federal agencies and departments with independent leasing authority, as they would be required to comply with the design guide and report to Congress on their use of bird-safe features and strategies in public buildings. This could lead to additional resources and efforts being directed towards implementing these measures.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3781 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3781
To amend title 40, United States Code, to direct the Administrator of
General Services to incorporate practices and strategies to reduce bird
fatality resulting from collisions with certain public buildings, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 1, 2023
Mr. Griffith (for himself and Mr. Quigley) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 40, United States Code, to direct the Administrator of
General Services to incorporate practices and strategies to reduce bird
fatality resulting from collisions with certain public buildings, and
for other purposes.
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 ``Federal Bird Safe Buildings Act of
2023''.
SEC. 2. USE OF BIRD-SAFE FEATURES, PRACTICES, AND STRATEGIES IN PUBLIC
BUILDINGS.
(a) In General.--Chapter 33 of title 40, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 3319. Use of bird-safe features, practices, and strategies in
public buildings
``(a) Construction, Alteration, and Acquisition of Public
Buildings.--The Administrator of General Services shall incorporate, to
the extent practicable, features, practices, and strategies to reduce
bird fatality resulting from collisions with public buildings for each
public building--
``(1) constructed;
``(2) acquired; or
``(3) of which more than 50 percent of the facade is
substantially altered (in the opinion of the Commissioner of
Public Buildings).
``(b) Design Guide.--The Administrator shall develop a design guide
to carry out subsection (a) that includes the following:
``(1) Features for reducing bird fatality resulting from
collisions with public buildings throughout all construction
phases, taking into account the risks and available information
on bird fatalities that occur at different types of public
buildings.
``(2) Methods and strategies for reducing bird fatality
resulting from collisions with public buildings during the
operation and maintenance of such buildings, including
installing interior, exterior, and site lighting.
``(3) Best practices for reducing bird fatality resulting
from collisions with public buildings, including--
``(A) a description of the reasons for adopting
such practices; and
``(B) an explanation for the omission of a best
practice identified pursuant to subsection (c).
``(c) Identifying Best Practices.--To carry out subsection (b)(3),
the Administrator may identify best practices for reducing bird
fatality resulting from collisions with public buildings, including
best practices recommended by--
``(1) Federal agencies with expertise in bird conservation;
``(2) nongovernmental organizations with expertise in bird
conservation; and
``(3) representatives of green building certification
systems.
``(d) Dissemination of Design Guide.--The Administrator shall
disseminate the design guide developed pursuant to subsection (b) to
all Federal agencies, subagencies, and departments with independent
leasing authority from the Administrator.
``(e) Update to Design Guide.--The Administrator shall, on a
regular basis, update the design guide developed pursuant to subsection
(b) with respect to the priorities of the Administrator for reducing
bird fatality resulting from collisions with public buildings.
``(f) Exempt Buildings.--This section shall not apply to--
``(1) any building or site listed, or eligible for listing,
on the National Register of Historic Places;
``(2) the White House and the grounds of the White House;
``(3) the Supreme Court building and the grounds of the
Supreme Court; or
``(4) the United States Capitol and any building on the
grounds of the Capitol.
``(g) Compliance.--Not later than October 1 of each fiscal year,
the Administrator, acting through the Commissioner, shall gather
information on compliance with and certify to Congress that the
Administrator uses the design guide developed pursuant to subsection
(b) for each public building described in subsection (a).
``(h) Report.--Not later than October 1 of each fiscal year, the
Administrator shall submit to Congress a report that includes--
``(1) the information under subsection (g);
``(2) to the extent practicable, an assessment of bird
fatalities that occurred as a result of a collision with the
public buildings occupied by the respective head of each
Federal agency; and
``(3) any recommendations to reduce the risk of bird
fatalities in and around public buildings occupied by Federal
agencies.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of
chapter 33 of title 40, United States Code, is amended by adding at the
end the following new item:
``3319. Use of bird-safe features, practices, and strategies in public
buildings.''.
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