Modern School Threat Reporting Act of 2018

Modern School Threat Reporting Act of 2018

This bill authorizes the Department of Justice to make grants for states to acquire a mobile application that enables students to anonymously report school safety threats to law enforcement agencies.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7056 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7056

To authorize the Attorney General to make grants to States to acquire a 
  mobile application that facilitates the reporting of school safety 
   threats to local law enforcement agencies for use by students in 
               secondary schools, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 9, 2018

Mr. MacArthur introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
    Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on 
Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined 
 by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as 
        fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the Attorney General to make grants to States to acquire a 
  mobile application that facilitates the reporting of school safety 
   threats to local law enforcement agencies for use by students in 
               secondary schools, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Modern School Threat Reporting Act 
of 2018''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR MOBILE APPLICATIONS TO REPORT SCHOOL THREATS.

    (a) Authorization.--The Attorney General is authorized to make 
grants to States to acquire and make available a mobile application 
that facilitates the reporting of school safety threats to local law 
enforcement agencies for use by students in secondary schools (as such 
term is defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)), which mobile application meets 
the requirements described in subsection (c).
    (b) Application.--The chief executive of a State seeking a grant 
under this section shall submit an application to the Attorney General 
at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the 
Attorney General may reasonably require, including--
            (1) the guidelines that the State will implement for use by 
        secondary schools and local law enforcement agencies in the 
        State related to the mobile application; and
            (2) a plan to deter misuse of the mobile application, 
        including deterring the use of the application for bullying.
    (c) Mobile Application Requirements Described.--The requirements 
for a mobile application described in this subsection are the 
following:
            (1) The mobile application shall enable the user enter 
        information related to a potential threat to the physical 
        safety of one or more students or employees of the school into 
        the application, which shall be reported immediately to the 
        appropriate school official and local law enforcement agency.
            (2) The mobile application shall enable the user to report 
        the information described in paragraph (1) anonymously.
            (3) The mobile application shall provide notice to the 
        user--
                    (A) of the capability to report the information 
                described in paragraph (1) anonymously; and
                    (B) that if the user chooses to disclose his or her 
                identity, that identifying information will be reported 
                to the appropriate school official and local law 
                enforcement agency, but shall, subject to applicable 
                law, be kept confidential by such official and agency.
    (d) Training.--A State receiving a grant under this section shall 
develop training on the use of and response to report made through the 
mobile application described in subsection (c), and shall provide such 
training, on an annual basis, to appropriate school officials and 
officers and employees of law enforcement agencies.
    (e) Grant Amount.--The amount of a grant made to a State under this 
section may not exceed $50,000.
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