To enhance the safety of elementary schools, secondary schools, and institutions of higher education.

Summary: School Safety Enhancements Act of 2008 - Title I: Elementary and Secondary Education Safety Enhancements - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to allow matching grants to states, localities, and Indian tribes for public elementary and secondary school security to be used for: (1) installing and using surveillance equipment in schools; (2) developing and implementing safety measures to protect students in the event of a terrorist attack or other hazardous condition or situation; and (3) establishing hotlines or tiplines for reporting potentially dangerous students and situations, including hazardous conditions.

Increases the maximum federal share of program costs from 50% to 80%.

Requires the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Secretary of Education to establish an interagency task force to develop and promulgate advisory school safety guidelines.

Requires grant applicants to include in their applications a report, signed by their chief education officer and attorney general or other chief law enforcement executive, certifying that the security measures to be funded: (1) will effectively improve school safety; (2) fit into a comprehensive approach to preventing school violence; and (3) are individualized to the needs of each school at which they are to be implemented.

Authorizes appropriations for such grant program for FY2009-FY2010.

Title II: Higher Education Security Enhancement - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require each institution of higher education participating in any program under title IV (Student Assistance) of that Act to: (1) conduct an annual campus safety assessment in consultation with local law enforcement officials; and (2) develop and implement a campus emergency response plan that addresses a comprehensive set of emergency situations, including natural disasters, active shooter situations, and terrorism.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``School Safety Enhancements Act of 
2008''.

    TITLE I--ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION SAFETY ENHANCEMENTS

SEC. 101. GRANT PROGRAM FOR SCHOOL SECURITY.

    Section 2701 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 
1968 (42 U.S.C. 3797a) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by striking ``Placement'' and inserting 
                        ``Installation''; and
                            (ii) by inserting ``surveillance 
                        equipment,'' after ``detectors,'';
                    (B) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph 
                (6); and
                    (C) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
            ``(5) Establishment of hotlines or tiplines for the 
        reporting of potentially dangerous students and situations.'';
            (2) by striking subsection (d)(1) and inserting the 
        following:
            ``(1) The Federal share of the costs of a program provided 
        by a grant under subsection (a) shall be not more than 80 
        percent of the total of such costs.''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(g) Interagency Task Force.--Not later than 60 days after the 
date of enactment of the School Safety Enhancements Act of 2008, the 
Director and the Secretary of Education, or the designee of the 
Secretary, shall establish an interagency task force to develop and 
promulgate a set of advisory school safety guidelines. The advisory 
school safety guidelines shall be published in the Federal Register by 
not later than one year after such date of enactment. In developing the 
final advisory school safety guidelines, the interagency task force 
shall consult with stakeholders and interested parties, including 
parents, teachers, and agencies.''.

SEC. 102. APPLICATIONS.

    Section 2702(a)(2) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets 
Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3797b(a)(2)) is amended to read as follows:
            ``(2) be accompanied by a report, signed by the chief 
        education officer and the attorney general or other chief law 
        enforcement executive of the State, unit of local government, 
        or Indian tribe, certifying that each proposed use of the grant 
        funds will be--
                    ``(A) an effective means for improving the safety 
                of one or more schools;
                    ``(B) consistent with a comprehensive approach to 
                preventing school violence; and
                    ``(C) individualized to the needs of each school at 
                which those improvements are to be made.''.

SEC. 103. ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS.

    Section 2703 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 
1968 (42 U.S.C. 3797c) is amended by striking ``and the activities for 
which those funds were used'' and inserting ``and a detailed 
itemization of how those funds were utilized''.

SEC. 104. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 2705 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 
1968 (42 U.S.C. 3797e) is amended by striking ``$30,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2001 through 2009'' and inserting ``$50,000,000 for each 
of the fiscal years 2009 and 2010''.

SEC. 105. ADDITIONAL AMENDMENT.

    Paragraph (5) of section 2701(b) of the Omnibus Crime Control and 
Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3797a(b)) (as amended by section 
101 of this Act) is further amended by inserting ``, including 
hazardous conditions'' after ``and situations''.

SEC. 106. ADDITIONAL AMENDMENT TO THE GRANT PROGRAM FOR SCHOOL 
              SECURITY.

    Section 2701(b) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act 
of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3797a(b)) (as amended by sections 101 and 105 of 
this Act) is further amended by inserting after paragraph (4) the 
following new paragraph (and redesignating the succeeding paragraphs 
accordingly):
            ``(5) Development and implementation of safety measures to 
        protect students in the event of a terrorist attack or other 
        hazardous condition or situation.''.

            TITLE II--HIGHER EDUCATION SECURITY ENHANCEMENT

SEC. 201. REQUIREMENT FOR CAMPUS SAFETY ASSESSMENTS.

    Section 485 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1092) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(n) Campus Safety Assessment.--Each eligible institution 
participating in any program under this title shall conduct an annual 
campus safety assessment that shall be prepared through consultation 
between the institution's staff, including safety and security 
personnel, and local law enforcement officials.''.

SEC. 202. REQUIREMENT FOR CAMPUS EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANS.

    Section 485 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended in 
section 201 (20 U.S.C. 1092), is further amended by adding at the end 
the following:
    ``(o) Campus Emergency Response Plan.--Each eligible institution 
participating in any program under this title shall develop and 
implement a campus emergency response plan to address a comprehensive 
set of emergency situations, including the following:
            ``(1) Natural disasters.
            ``(2) Active shooter situations.
            ``(3) Terrorist attacks.''.

            Passed the House of Representatives September 17, 2008.

            Attest:

                                            LORRAINE C. MILLER,

                                                                 Clerk.