Safer Schools Act of 2021
This bill establishes a pilot program through which the Department of Justice must award grants to public elementary and secondary schools to conduct independent facility security risk assessments and make hard security improvements (e.g., video monitoring and alert notification equipment).
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2717 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2717
To establish a grant program to encourage schools to conduct
independent facility security risk assessments and make hard security
improvements, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 21, 2021
Mr. Williams of Texas (for himself and Mr. Deutch) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and
Labor, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, 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 establish a grant program to encourage schools to conduct
independent facility security risk assessments and make hard security
improvements, 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 ``Safer Schools Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM FOR GRANTS FOR INDEPENDENT FACILITY SECURITY RISK
ASSESSMENTS AND HARD SECURITY IMPROVEMENTS.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act the Attorney General shall establish a pilot
program (hereinafter referred to as the ``pilot program'') to issue
grants pursuant to subsections (b) and (c), including releasing
guidelines and applications with respect to such grant programs.
(b) Independent Facility Security Risk Assessment Grants.--
(1) In general.--Beginning not later than 180 days after
the date of enactment of this section, the Attorney General
shall award grants to public schools to have independent
facility security risk assessments performed.
(2) Application.--
(A) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant
under this section, a public school shall submit to the
Attorney General an application at such time, in such
manner, and containing such information as the Attorney
General may require, including--
(i) the size of the school;
(ii) a comprehensive report on the
financial state of the school, including any
Federal, State, or local funds used in the
school's budget; and
(iii) a certification to the Attorney
General that the school is unable to cover the
cost of an independent facility security risk
assessment without the grant awarded under this
section.
(B) Priority.--The Attorney General, in awarding a
grant under this section, shall give priority to
applications of public schools that have experienced an
event in which an individual inflicts deadly harm or
attempts to inflict deadly harm against multiple
individuals.
(3) Ineligibility.--
(A) In general.--A public school shall be
ineligible to receive a grant under this section if
it--
(i) received a grant under this section in
the previous 5 fiscal years; or
(ii) receives a grant under this section in
the same fiscal year.
(B) Exception.--Notwithstanding paragraph (1), in
the case that a grant recipient experiences an event in
which an individual inflicts deadly harm or attempts to
inflict deadly harm against multiple individuals, such
grant recipient shall be eligible to receive an
additional grant under this section in the fiscal year
after the date of the event.
(c) Hard Security Improvement Grants.--
(1) In general.--Beginning not later than 180 days after
the date of enactment of this section, the Attorney General
shall award grants to public schools for the purpose of making
hard security improvements to schools.
(2) Application.--
(A) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant
under this section, a public school shall submit to the
Attorney General an application at such time, in such
manner, and containing such information as the Attorney
General may require, which application shall include--
(i) the size of the school;
(ii) a comprehensive report on the
financial state of the school, including any
Federal, State, or local funds used in the
school's budget;
(iii) a comprehensive description of
previous improvements made to the school meant
to address school security related
vulnerabilities;
(iv) the specific products and services
that will be purchased with the grant funds and
an estimate of such costs and services; and
(v) the results of the school's most recent
independent facility security risk assessment.
(B) Priority.--The Attorney General, in awarding a
grant under this section, shall give priority to
applications of schools that have experienced an event
in which an individual inflicts deadly harm or attempts
to inflict deadly harm against multiple individuals.
(3) Ineligibility.--
(A) In general.--A public school shall be
ineligible to receive a grant under this section if--
(i) a public school received a grant under
this section in the previous 5 fiscal years; or
(ii) a public school receives a grant under
this section in the same fiscal year.
(B) Exception.--Notwithstanding paragraph (1), in
the case that a grant recipient experiences an event in
which an individual inflicts deadly harm or attempts to
inflict deadly harm against multiple individuals, such
grant recipient shall be eligible to receive an
additional grant under this section in any fiscal year
after the date on which the event occurred.
(4) Matching funds.--
(A) In general.--The Federal share of a grant
received under this subsection may not exceed 50
percent of the hard security improvement costs.
(B) Waiver.--The Attorney General may waive in
whole or in part, the matching requirement under
paragraph (1) in the case that the recipient has a
financial need for such waiver.
(5) Grant conditions.--A recipient of a grant under this
section shall--
(A) use the grant to make hard security
improvements identified as necessary by the most recent
independent facility security risk assessment;
(B) in the case that a panic alarm is not installed
or operable according to the independent facility risk
assessment, use the grant for the installation of at
least 1 panic alarm for use in a school security
emergency, including a non-fire evacuation, lockdown,
or active shooter situation, which alarm--
(i) shall be directly linked to the local
law enforcement agency that is closest in
proximity to the grant recipient;
(ii) shall immediately transmit a signal or
message to such law enforcement agency upon
activation; and
(iii) shall not be audible within the
public school building;
(C) before entering into a contract with a vendor,
obtain written confirmation from the law enforcement
agency or entity that conducted the independent
facility security risk assessment that the improvement
will mitigate a vulnerability identified in the
independent facility security risk assessment; and
(D) ensure that hard security improvements comply
with local building code requirements and standards.
(d) Information Dissemination.--
(1) In general.--The Attorney General shall disseminate to
each local educational agency in the United States information
about the availability of grants under this section.
(2) Event notice.--Not later than 30 days after an event in
which an individual inflicts deadly harm or attempts to inflict
deadly harm against multiple individuals occurs in a public
school, the Director shall contact verbally the head of such
public school to provide notice of priority eligibility for
grants under this section and to offer technical assistance in
navigating the application process.
(e) Reports.--
(1) Grant recipient report.--Not later than one year after
receiving a grant under subsection (b) or (c), a recipient
shall submit to the Attorney General--
(A) a copy of the results of each security
assessment with how many vulnerabilities were found;
(B) a list of each hard improvement made and the
percentage of vulnerabilities fixed, including the
percentage of vulnerabilities outstanding;
(C) a list of the number of events in which an
individual inflicts deadly harm or attempts to inflict
deadly harm against multiple individuals, if any, that
happened five years before hard security
vulnerabilities were fixed or one year after the hard
security vulnerabilities were made; and
(D) a survey assessing how safe students and
facility members feel on the school's campus before
hard security improvements were made and one year after
they were made.
(2) Attorney general report.--Not later than two years
after the date of enactment, and annually thereafter, the
Attorney General shall submit to appropriate Congressional
committees a report on the national state of physical security
in schools, including--
(A) the contents of grant recipient reports under
paragraph (1);
(B) a percentage breakdown of the type of hard
security fixes;
(C) the percentage of outstanding vulnerabilities
remaining;
(D) a percentage breakdown of each type of hard
security improvements made; and
(E) the average percentage of vulnerabilities fixed
and average percentage of vulnerabilities outstanding
after the hard security improvements were made.
(f) Sunset.--The pilot program shall terminate on the date that is
five years after the date on which the pilot program is established.
(g) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on
the Judiciary and the Committee on Education and Labor of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on the Judiciary and
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the
Senate.
(2) Hard security improvements.--The term ``hard security
improvements'' means improvements to the infrastructure of
school property perimeter, parking lot perimeter, building
perimeter, entrance and exit points of the school building,
video monitoring equipment, alert notification equipment, the
interior and perimeter of the classroom, and any other physical
improvements related to camera systems and related hardware,
alarm and notification technology, and visitor management
technologies deemed eligible for improvement by the Attorney
General.
(3) Independent facility security risk assessment.--The
term ``independent facility security risk assessment'' means an
assessment that--
(A) identifies active shooter and related security
vulnerabilities of public schools, considering security
factors, including the strength and maintenance levels
of the property perimeter, parking lot perimeter,
building perimeter, and classroom and interior
perimeter, and the presence of a silent security system
signal generated by the manual activation of a device
intended to signal a life-threatening or emergency
situation requiring a response from law enforcement;
and
(B) is conducted by a Federal, State, or local
entity determined to be qualified by the Department of
Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance.
(4) Public school.--The term ``public school'' means a
public elementary school or a public secondary school,
including an elementary school or a secondary school that is
predominately funded by an Indian tribal government.
(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--
(1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to
carry about the pilot program--
(A) $100,000,000 for fiscal year one of the pilot
program;
(B) $200,000,000 for fiscal year two of the pilot
program; and
(C) $300,000,000 for fiscal years three through
five of the pilot program.
(2) Allocation of funds.--Any funds authorized under
paragraph (1) shall be allocated--
(A) with 30 percent of any such funds to the grant
program under section 2(b); and
(B) with 70 percent of any such funds to the grant
program under section 2(c).
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, 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.
Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, 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.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
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