{"format":1,"id":"117-hr-7077","congress":117,"number":"H.R. 7077","kind":"bill","group":"bills","title":"Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act","title_source":"Short Titles as Enacted","official_title":"To require the United States Fire Administration to conduct on-site investigations of major fires, and for other purposes.","titles":[{"type":"Official Title as Introduced","title":"To require the United States Fire Administration to conduct on-site investigations of major fires, and for other purposes."},{"type":"Short Titles from ENR (Enrolled) bill text","title":"Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) from Engrossed Amendment Senate bill text","title":"Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act"},{"type":"Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text","title":"Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act"},{"type":"Display Title","title":"Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act"},{"type":"Short Titles as Enacted","title":"Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act"},{"type":"Short Titles as Passed Senate","title":"Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Reported to Senate","title":"Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","title":"Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Reported to House","title":"Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Introduced","title":"Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act"}],"outcome":"became_law","law_number":"Public Law 117-246","introduced":"2022-03-15","chambers":{"house":{"status":"voice","date":"2022-12-14","vote":null,"how":null,"words":"Passed/agreed to in House: Pursuant to section 5 of H. Res. 1518, and the motion offered by Mr. Hoyer, the following bills passed under suspension of the rules: H.R. 1082, as amended; H.R. 5349; H.R. 6218; H.R. 6220; H.R. 6221; H.R. 6611, as amended; H.R. 6630; H.R. 6725; H.R. 7077, agreed to Senate amendment; H.R. 7832; H.R. 8665; S. 558; and S. 789. S. 558; and S. 789."},"senate":{"status":"voice","date":"2022-12-06","vote":null,"how":"unanimous_consent","words":"Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.(text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR S7003)"}},"president":{"status":"signed","date":"2022-12-20"},"vice_president_tie_breaker":null,"latest_action":{"text":"Became Public Law No: 117-246.","date":"2022-12-20"},"nominees":null,"amendments":[],"other_votes":[{"chamber":"house","date":"2022-05-11","question":"On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended","title":"Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act","result":"Passed","yea":379,"nay":37,"present":0,"not_voting":12,"kind":"final_candidate","source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2022/roll153.xml"}],"crs_summary":{"date":"2022-12-20","stage":"Public Law","blocks":[{"k":"h","t":"Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act"},{"k":"p","t":"This act authorizes the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) to conduct on-site fire safety investigations of major fires and other fires under other specified circumstances."},{"k":"p","t":"In the case of a major fire, the USFA may send incident investigators (e.g., safety specialists, fire protection engineers, codes and standards experts, researchers, and fire training specialists) to the site. Any such investigation shall (1) be conducted in coordination and cooperation with appropriate federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial authorities; and (2) examine the previously determined cause and origin of the fire and assess broader systematic matters."},{"k":"p","t":"Upon concluding any such investigation, the USFA must issue a public report to federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial authorities on the findings of such investigation or collaborate with another investigating federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial agency on that agency's report. The act makes an exception where issuing a report would have a negative impact on a potential or ongoing criminal investigation."},{"k":"p","t":"Additionally, the USFA may send fire investigators to conduct fire safety investigations at the site of any fire with unusual or remarkable context that results in losses less severe than those occurring as a result of a major fire, in coordination and cooperation with the appropriate federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial authorities."}],"words":214},"summary":{"main_subject":{"text":"Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to authorize the United States Fire Administration to conduct on-site fire safety investigations of major fires and to report on them.","cites":[{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7077/text/enr#H1FF0F76084D04BB0B1C291073B2B3EEB:~:text=2.%20Fire%20safety%20investigations"}]},"core_areas":["U.S. Fire Administration on-site fire safety investigations","Public reports and recommendations on investigated fires"],"what_it_does":[{"text":"Allows the Administrator to send incident investigators, such as safety specialists and fire protection engineers, to the site of a major fire to conduct a fire safety investigation.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7077/text/enr#H1FF0F76084D04BB0B1C291073B2B3EEB:~:text=2.%20Fire%20safety%20investigations"}},{"text":"Requires each investigation to be conducted in coordination and cooperation with appropriate Federal, State, local, Tribal, and territorial authorities, and to examine the previously determined cause and origin of the fire and assess broader systematic matters.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7077/text/enr#H1FF0F76084D04BB0B1C291073B2B3EEB:~:text=2.%20Fire%20safety%20investigations"}},{"text":"Requires the Administrator, after an investigation, to issue a public report on its findings or to collaborate with another investigating agency on that agency's report, unless the Administrator determines a report would negatively affect a criminal investigation.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7077/text/enr#H1FF0F76084D04BB0B1C291073B2B3EEB:~:text=2.%20Fire%20safety%20investigations"}},{"text":"Requires each public report to include recommendations on similar buildings, tactical response, civilian safety practices, the costs and benefits of adding fire safety features, and how to mitigate the causes of the fire.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7077/text/enr#H1FF0F76084D04BB0B1C291073B2B3EEB:~:text=2.%20Fire%20safety%20investigations"}},{"text":"Allows the Administrator to send fire investigators to any fire with unusual or remarkable context that results in losses less severe than those of a major fire, if doing so would not negatively affect a criminal investigation.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7077/text/enr#H1FF0F76084D04BB0B1C291073B2B3EEB:~:text=2.%20Fire%20safety%20investigations"}},{"text":"Does not grant authority to investigate a major fire for enforcement action or criminal prosecution, and leaves the term major fire to be defined in regulations issued by the Administrator.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7077/text/enr#H1FF0F76084D04BB0B1C291073B2B3EEB:~:text=2.%20Fire%20safety%20investigations"}}],"unexpected":[],"version":{"type":"Enrolled Bill","date":null,"rule":"enrolled","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7077/text/enr"},"current":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","approved":"2026-10-15","approved_by":"checks"},"changes":{"first":{"chamber":"House","type":"Engrossed in House","date":"2022-05-11","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7077/text/eh"},"final":{"type":"Enrolled Bill","date":null,"href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7077/text/enr"},"kept":0.48,"replaced":false,"removed":[],"added":[],"added_count":0,"approved":"2026-10-15","approved_by":"checks"},"sources":{"congress_gov":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7077","text":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7077/text"},"card":{"image":"card/item/117-hr-7077.png","v":"d3472b1ce91b","alt":"Votes on Record. H.R. 7077, 117th Congress: Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act. House: no roll call. Senate: unanimous consent. Outcome: Became law, 20 Dec 2022."}}