March 3, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 42 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Pages H1441-H1442]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IMPROVING SECURITY ON SCHOOL GROUNDS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Bost) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, every parent's worst nightmare is to learn 
that their children's school may be one of the sites of mass violence. 
Schools should not be a place where our kids have to fear, it should be 
where they learn, and grow, and follow their dreams.
  No child should have to be more concerned about their safety than 
they are about their science project, band concert, or basketball game.
  That is why last year, I and many others introduced the Securing Our 
Schools Act in the last Congress, passed it on to the President, and it 
was signed into law.
  I was proud that our bipartisan bill passed the House and Senate and 
was signed into law by the President. The new law creates a Federal 
grant program for local communities to improve security in their 
schools.
  School districts and law enforcement can use these critical funds to 
purchase life-saving technology, panic alert systems, communications 
equipment, cameras, door locks, or to better train authorities when 
incidents of violence might occur.
  Last year, $33 million in grants were allocated to 103 school 
districts nationwide, making four million students safer. The 
application process is now open for grants for the 2021 fiscal year.
  Please urge local officials, those in your district to visit 
cops.doj.gov for more information on how to apply for up to $500,000 in 
grants through the School Violence Prevention Program. Once again, that 
is cops.doj.gov.

[[Page H1442]]

  The application deadline for this fiscal year is April 8. Please 
reach out to your community, community leaders, law enforcement, and 
local school districts.
  We have advanced safety technology in banks, office buildings, and 
retail locations. There is no reason we shouldn't have this technology 
at all of our schools to protect all of our children.

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