Ritchie Torres: “I am here to speak about H.R. 7077, which stems from the tragedy of Twin Parks North West, the scene of New York's…”

“I am here to speak about H.R. 7077, which stems from the tragedy of Twin Parks North West, the scene of New York's deadliest fire in more than three decades, one that left the South Bronx with a death count of 17, including 8 children, one as young as 2 years of age. The legislation would empower the United States Fire Administration to investigate the deadliest fires, in partnership with State and local governments. Not all local jurisdictions have the capacity to investigate the causes of complex fires on their own. The Federal Government, tapping into the technical expertise of the USFA, can and should aid fire investigations in the aim of ascertaining the truth about what exactly happened and why. We must investigate the deadliest fires so that every lesson is learned and so that no life is ever lost in vain. The objective here is to enable the USFA to share lessons learned with governments at all levels in the hopes of transforming those lessons into policies and practices that prevent fires and save lives. Every time a fire breaks out and a life is lost, we should be reminded of a simple injunction: Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Let us enable the USFA to learn from the deadliest fires so that we as a Nation never repeat them. I am enormously grateful for the partnership of Congress Member Haley Stevens; without whose support the bill would never have been brought to the floor.…”