S. 1920: Federal Bird-Safe Buildings Act of 2017

115th Congress · introduced 2017-10-04 · Government Operations and Politics · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2017-10-04 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Federal Bird-Safe Buildings Act of 2017

Plain 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.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Federal Bird-Safe Buildings Act of 2017

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] · 2 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Martin Heinrich (D-NM)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] reported raising $21.3 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115s1920.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/s>

Record fed-us-cong115-s1920 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115