I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2491 
To establish a grant program to improve school security, including by training 
and hiring veterans and former law enforcement officers as school safety 
officers, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 6, 2023 
Mr. FLEISCHMANN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with-
in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish a grant program to improve school security, 
including by training and hiring veterans and former 
law enforcement officers as school safety officers, and 
for other purposes. 
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 Aid For 
Every School Act’’ or the ‘‘SAFE School Act’’. 
SEC. 2. IMPROVING SCHOOL SECURITY. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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(1) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘elementary 
school’’, ‘‘local educational agency’’, and ‘‘secondary 
school’’ have the meanings given the terms in section 
8001 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
(2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 
the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—The Attorney 
General shall establish within the Office of Justice Pro-
grams a grant program under which the Attorney General 
shall make grants to States and local educational agencies 
to carry out eligible activities described in subsection (c). 
(c) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—The eligible activities de-
scribed in this subsection are the following: 
(1) Establish, if necessary, and implement a 
State certification or licensure program, or other 
training program required by the State, that— 
(A) is designed to train individuals who are 
veterans or former law enforcement officers to 
serve as school safety officers; and 
(B) may include firearm or de-escalation 
training. 
(2) Hire veterans or former law enforcement of-
ficers who have completed the State certification or 
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licensure program described in paragraph (1), or off- 
duty law enforcement officers, to serve as school 
safety officers in elementary schools and secondary 
schools in the State. 
(3) Improve the security of elementary schools 
and secondary schools in the State by installing in-
frastructure and implementing technology and other 
measures that strengthen security on school prem-
ises, including— 
(A) controlling access to school facilities 
through the installation of metal detectors, x- 
ray machines, fencing or gating, and surveil-
lance cameras or systems; 
(B) securing doors through the installation 
of external door passcodes, internal door locks, 
peepholes for classroom doors, bulletproof glass 
or ballistic film, automatic door locking mecha-
nisms, and access control doors; and 
(C) enhancing emergency responsiveness 
through the installation of increased lighting on 
school grounds, emergency call boxes, emer-
gency alerts, and emergency generators. 
(d) NO FEDERAL INTERFERENCE.—In awarding 
grants pursuant to subsection (b), Attorney General may 
not— 
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(1) prevent or discourage any State or local 
educational agency from using any grant funds for 
a school security activity described in subsection (b); 
(2) impose any requirements relating to the 
content or structure of the State certification, licen-
sure, or other training program described in sub-
section (c)(1); or 
(3) enforce any requirement relating to grant 
funds that would prevent a State or local edu-
cational agency from carrying out an eligible activity 
described in subsection (c). 
(e) NONDISCRIMINATION.—The Attorney General 
shall award grants pursuant to subsection (b) without re-
spect to whether a recipient or subrecipient— 
(1) is a public or private school; 
(2) is religiously affiliated; or 
(3) receives any Federal or State funding for 
school resource officers. 
(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$900,000,000. 
Æ 
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