117 STAT. 2908
CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS—MAR. 13, 2003
to the tragedy, contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to victims’ assistance efforts; Whereas many local businesses have provided victims and their families with crucial services from food to transportation, members of the Rhode Island Bar Association and Rhode Island Trial Lawyers Association have offered free assistance to victims and their families with immediate legal issues, and community mental health centers and mental health professionals have provided critical mental health care to victims and their families and other members of the community; Whereas Federal agencies, including the Social Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Small Business Administration, have offered assistance and expertise that has been extremely helpful to the State’s emergency response to the tragedy; Whereas the West Warwick fire is only the most recent example of how deadly fire can be in nonresidential buildings; Whereas, in 2001, the last year in which full statistics are available, 80 people were killed and 1,650 injured in fires in nonresidential buildings, not including the victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001; and Whereas, on February 17, 2003, 21 people were killed in a tragic stampede at the E2 Nightclub in Chicago, Illinois, and this tragedy and the West Warwick fire, which have deeply impacted persons throughout the United States, emphasize the critical need for enhancements in nightclub and concert hall safety: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That the Congress— (1) expresses its deepest condolences to the family members and friends who lost loved ones as a result of the tragic fire on February 20, 2003, at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, and offers its hope for the quick and full recovery of those persons who were injured in the fire; (2) expresses immense gratitude for the efforts of countless emergency response personnel, local, State, and Federal officials, health care providers, volunteers, businesses, and citizens who have been part of the response to this tragedy; and (3) urges State and local officials and the owners of entertainment facilities to examine their safety practices, fire codes, and enforcement capabilities in light of this horrific tragedy and to take all necessary action to ensure that such a tragedy never befalls any community again. Agreed to March 13, 2003.
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