Public and Federally Assisted Housing Fire Safety Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Waters and Representative Wagner for their support for this important legislation.

I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 7981, the Public and Federally Assisted Housing Fire Safety Act.

This bipartisan legislation, which passed by a unanimous voice vote out of the Financial Services Committee last month, would help protect the more than 10 million Americans who live in public or federally assisted housing, to protect them from the risk of fire, by requiring the installation of hardwired or tamper-resistant smoke alarms in federally assisted housing.

My colleagues from Southeastern Pennsylvania, Representatives Dwight Evans, Brendan Boyle, Brian Fitzpatrick, and Mary Gay Scanlon, have joined me in introducing this important legislation, as our community was devastated earlier this year by the horrific blaze that occurred in a public housing unit.

As has been detailed, in the early morning hours of January 5 of this year, a fire broke out in a Philadelphia row house owned by the Philadelphia Housing Authority and converted into apartments, killing three sisters and nine of their children.

My heart breaks for this beautiful family. They were loving mothers, aspiring students, babies, some only 2 and 3 years old. I want to take a moment to remember them by simply saying their names.

The eldest sister, Rosalee ``Rose'' McDonald, 33, was a loving mother to six children, all of whom perished in the fire. Her children: Quintien Tate-McDonald, 16; Destiny McDonald, 15; Dekwan ``Day-Day'' Robinson, 8; J'Kwan ``Jay-Jay'' Robinson, 5; Taniesha Robinson, 3; and Tiffany Robinson, 2.

The middle sister, Virginia ``Jenny'' Thomas, 30, was a loving mother to four children, three of whom perished in the fire. Her children: Natasha Wayne, 7; Shaniece Wayne, 10; and Janiyah Roberts, 3.

And finally, Quinsha White, 18 years old, the younger sister to Rosalee and Virginia. She was still just a senior in high school when she died.

Heartbreakingly, as the facts around this fire emerged, it became clear that these tragic deaths might have been possibly prevented with proper safeguards.

Of the seven smoke alarms in the converted row home, all of which were the kind that requires frequent battery replacement, four were in drawers, one was on the floor without batteries, one was in the ceiling without batteries, and a final alarm, working, was located in the basement.

This situation, sadly, is not unique. According to 2015 HUD data on the top 25 deficiencies in public housing, missing or inoperable smoke detectors was the 15th prevalent deficiency, with 7,700 deficiencies cited.

In 2020, an ABC News investigation found that ``more than 1 million people in the U.S. are living in federally funded housing complexes that inspectors found had fallen short on working smoke detectors.''

It is clear to me that the status quo is not keeping families safe. My legislation is desperately needed to raise the bar, to ensure that the 10 million Americans who live in public and federally assisted housing have the basic, lifesaving benefit of working, reliable smoke alarms.

This bill would also authorize $2 million for HUD to run a national education campaign on health and safety requirements in public housing, including how to properly use fire safety features like smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and self-closing doors.

I am pleased to have the support of key stakeholders, including the International Code Council, who provided guidance in drafting this bill, the National Fire Protection Association, National Association of State Fire Marshals, the International Association of Fire Fighters.

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Ms. DEAN. Also, I thank my colleagues from Pennsylvania, including Senator Casey, who has introduced the identical legislation in the Senate.

Finally, I thank Chairwoman Waters, and her staff, for their guidance and support in crafting this legislation.

I thank the whole Financial Services Committee for supporting this bill in our markup. I implore my colleagues to join me in supporting this important bill.

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