Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee
Introduced
In Committee
On Floor
Passed Chamber
Enacted
This legislation mandates that the Administrator of General Services (GSA) integrate features, practices, and strategies to mitigate bird fatalities resulting from collisions with public buildings. These requirements apply to all newly constructed or acquired public buildings, as well as those undergoing substantial facade alterations exceeding 50 percent. The primary objective is to protect avian populations by making federal infrastructure less hazardous. To achieve this, the GSA Administrator must develop a comprehensive design guide outlining bird-safe measures for all construction phases, considering risks and fatality data. This guide will also include methods for reducing fatalities during building operation and maintenance, such as specific interior, exterior, and site lighting strategies. Best practices, identified in consultation with bird conservation experts and green building systems, will be detailed, along with explanations for their adoption or omission. The design guide must be disseminated to all federal agencies with independent leasing authority and updated regularly to reflect evolving priorities for bird safety. Certain structures, including buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the White House, the Supreme Court, and the U.S. Capitol, are explicitly exempt from these provisions. Annually, the Administrator must certify to Congress compliance with the design guide and submit a report assessing bird fatalities at federal buildings, along with recommendations for further risk reduction.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Government Operations and Politics
Federal Bird Safe Buildings Act of 2025
USA119th CongressHR-3268| House
| Updated: 5/8/2025
This legislation mandates that the Administrator of General Services (GSA) integrate features, practices, and strategies to mitigate bird fatalities resulting from collisions with public buildings. These requirements apply to all newly constructed or acquired public buildings, as well as those undergoing substantial facade alterations exceeding 50 percent. The primary objective is to protect avian populations by making federal infrastructure less hazardous. To achieve this, the GSA Administrator must develop a comprehensive design guide outlining bird-safe measures for all construction phases, considering risks and fatality data. This guide will also include methods for reducing fatalities during building operation and maintenance, such as specific interior, exterior, and site lighting strategies. Best practices, identified in consultation with bird conservation experts and green building systems, will be detailed, along with explanations for their adoption or omission. The design guide must be disseminated to all federal agencies with independent leasing authority and updated regularly to reflect evolving priorities for bird safety. Certain structures, including buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the White House, the Supreme Court, and the U.S. Capitol, are explicitly exempt from these provisions. Annually, the Administrator must certify to Congress compliance with the design guide and submit a report assessing bird fatalities at federal buildings, along with recommendations for further risk reduction.