I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2479 
To provide for safe schools and safe communities. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 3, 2023 
Mr. WEBER of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Com-
mittees on Homeland Security, the Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, and 
Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speak-
er, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the ju-
risdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide for safe schools and safe communities. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Securing Our Schools 
Act of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. NONPROFIT SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM. 
Section 2009 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 
(6 U.S.C. 609a) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘2022 through 
2028’’ and inserting ‘‘2023 through 2029’’; 
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(2) by redesignating subsection (i) as subsection 
(l); 
(3) by inserting after subsection (h) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(i) FEEDBACK.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If the Administrator denies 
an application for a grant under this section, not 
later than 120 days after the date of the denial, the 
Administrator shall— 
‘‘(A) notify the applicant; and 
‘‘(B) provide an explanation for the denial. 
‘‘(2) EXPLANATION.—An explanation described 
in paragraph (1)(B) shall include information identi-
fying the reason for the denial of the application, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(A) any factors that led to a lower score 
or rank compared to other applicants; and 
‘‘(B) an identification of any deficiencies in 
the application. 
‘‘(j) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS AND TECHNICAL AS-
SISTANCE.—A State through which the Administrator 
makes a grant to an eligible nonprofit organization under 
this section shall receive a 5-percent increase in the 
amount of the grant— 
‘‘(1) for administrative costs; and 
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‘‘(2) to provide technical assistance to the eligi-
ble nonprofit organization. 
‘‘(k) APPLICATION UPDATE AND IMPROVEMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) PUBLIC
MEETING.—Not later than 90 
days after the date of enactment of the Securing 
Our Schools Act of 2023, the Administrator shall 
hold a public meeting to solicit recommendations on 
updating the application process for a grant under 
this section. 
‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of the Securing Our Schools 
Act of 2023, the Administrator shall— 
‘‘(A) develop recommendations to mod-
ernize and update the application process for a 
grant under this section, which shall include 
considerations for— 
‘‘(i) establishing a more streamlined 
application process; 
‘‘(ii) establishing greater uniformity in 
the application process among all appli-
cants and the guidance provided to States 
through which the Administrator makes 
grants to eligible nonprofit organizations 
under this section; 
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‘‘(iii) ensuring that the application 
template is compatible with the latest or 
most widely used version of software pro-
grams; and 
‘‘(iv) coordinating with the Adminis-
trator of General Services to ensure that 
applications submitted under this section 
are compatible across online platforms of 
the Federal Government; and 
‘‘(B) submit to the Committee on Home-
land Security and Governmental Affairs of the 
Senate and the Committee on Homeland Secu-
rity of the House of Representatives a report 
that includes— 
‘‘(i) the recommendations developed 
under subparagraph (A); and 
‘‘(ii) a description of whether the rec-
ommendations developed under subpara-
graph (A) are consistent with feedback re-
ceived at the public meeting required under 
paragraph (1). 
‘‘(3) 
IMPLEMENTATION
OF
RECOMMENDA-
TIONS.—Not later than 270 days after the date of 
enactment of the Securing Our Schools Act of 2023, 
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(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) 
HIGH-RISK
URBAN
AREAS.—Of 
the 
amounts made available to carry out this section for 
each of fiscal years 2024 through 2029, not less 
than 0.35 percent shall be for grants to eligible re-
cipients located in each high-risk urban area receiv-
ing grants under section 2003. 
‘‘(4) 
SALARIES
AND
EXPENSES.—Of 
the 
amounts made available to carry out this section in 
any fiscal year, the Administrator may transfer to 
another account of the Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency not more than 3 percent for salaries 
and administrative expenses, including any necessary 
expenses to provide feedback or technical assistance 
to applicants for a grant under this section in ac-
cordance with subsection (j).’’. 
SEC. 3. SECURING SCHOOLS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) APPROPRIATION.—There are authorized to 
be appropriated, and there are appropriated, to the 
Secretary of Education to carry out subpart 1 of 
part A of title IV of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education 
Act 
of 
1965 
(20 
U.S.C. 
7111), 
$2,560,000,000 for fiscal years 2024 through 2033. 
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(2) SCHOOL SECURITY.—The Secretary of Edu-
cation shall use 50 percent of the funds appropriated 
under paragraph (1) to carry out clause (v) of sec-
tion 4104(b)(3)(B) of the Elementary and Sec-
ondary 
Education 
Act 
of 
1965 
(20 
U.S.C. 
7114(b)(3)(B)). 
(b) ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT 
OF 1965.—Section 4104 of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7114) is amended in 
subsection (b)(3)(B)— 
(1) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 
and 
(2) by inserting after clause (iv) the following: 
‘‘(v) improving school conditions for 
student learning, by enabling local edu-
cational agencies to use funds available 
under subsection (a)(3) for the purpose of 
planning and designing school buildings 
and facilities, installing infrastructure, and 
implementing technology or other meas-
ures, that strengthen security on school 
premises, which may include— 
‘‘(I) controlling access to school 
premises or facilities, through the use 
of metal detectors, or other measures, 
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or technology, with evidence-based ef-
fectiveness (to the extent the State in-
volved determines that such evidence 
is reasonably available), which may in-
clude— 
‘‘(aa) secured campus exter-
nal gate or locked doors or check- 
in points; 
‘‘(bb) active shooter alert 
systems; 
‘‘(cc) access control; 
‘‘(dd) internal door locks; 
‘‘(ee) peepholes for class-
room doors; 
‘‘(ff) school site alarm and 
protection systems; 
‘‘(gg) metal detectors or x- 
ray machines (including port-
able); 
‘‘(hh) door locking mecha-
nisms and access control doors; 
‘‘(ii) increased lighting on 
school grounds; 
‘‘(jj) emergency call boxes; 
‘‘(kk) two-way radios; 
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‘‘(ll) emergency alerts; 
‘‘(mm) surveillance cameras 
or systems and infrastructure 
(such as poles and wiring); 
‘‘(nn) software costs and 
warranties; 
‘‘(oo) fencing and gating; 
and 
‘‘(pp) emergency generators 
to provide back-up power for 
phone systems, critical lighting, 
and essential outlets; 
‘‘(II) implementing any tech-
nology or measure, or installing any 
infrastructure, to cover and conceal 
students within the school during cri-
sis situations; 
‘‘(III) implementing technology 
to provide coordination with law en-
forcement and notification to relevant 
law enforcement and first responders 
during such a situation, which shall 
include— 
‘‘(aa) emergency planning 
and preparation; 
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‘‘(bb) emphasis on a school 
safety plan with buy in from all 
elements of the school commu-
nity, including board members, 
employees, students, parents, law 
enforcers, government and busi-
ness leaders, the media, and local 
residents; 
‘‘(cc) school implementation 
of threat assessment programs; 
‘‘(dd) development of dis-
trict-based mandatory incident 
reporting systems; 
‘‘(ee) establishment of local 
school safety advisory groups (in-
cluding parents, families, judges, 
first 
responders, 
health 
and 
human service professionals, and 
mental health professionals); 
‘‘(ff) evidence-based training 
for 
school 
resource 
officers, 
school personnel, and students to 
prevent student violence to enable 
them to recognize and quickly re-
spond to warning signs; 
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‘‘(gg) development and oper-
ations of anonymous reporting 
systems; 
‘‘(hh) evidence-based school 
threat 
assessment 
and 
crisis 
intervention teams; 
‘‘(ii) programs to facilitate 
coordination with local law en-
forcement; 
‘‘(jj) liability and insurance 
for school districts; 
‘‘(kk) 
trauma-informed 
training for school staff on re-
sponses to active shooter situa-
tions; and 
‘‘(ll) community engagement 
for planning and implementing 
safety policies and procedures; 
‘‘(IV) implementing any tech-
nology or measure, including hiring 
school security officers, or installing 
any infrastructure, with evidence- 
based effectiveness (to the extent the 
State involved determines that such 
evidence is reasonably available) to in-
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school’’ have the meanings given the terms in section 
8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
(2) DEVELOPMENT
AND
DISSEMINATION
OF 
BEST PRACTICES.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of 
the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
Administration, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, and the Secretary of Education shall work 
in consultation to— 
(A) develop best practices for identifying 
warning signs of mental health problems with 
students and identify warning signs for teachers 
and administrator that a student is at high-risk 
for violence, specifically for a mass shooting; 
(B) develop best practices for identifying 
warning signs of mental health problems with 
children and identify warning signs for individ-
uals who work at a social service agency that a 
child under the age of 18 is at high-risk for vio-
lence, specifically for a mass shooting; and 
(C) disseminate the best practices devel-
oped under subparagraphs (A) and (B) to each 
elementary school and secondary school in the 
United States, and publish the best practices on 
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