Title: Safe Schools Act
Policy area: Emergency Management

Summary:
Safe Schools Act
This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to make grants to eligible local education agencies to provide improved security measures at schools and on school grounds.
Such grants shall be distributed directly to such agencies and used to improve security through one or more of the following:
In awarding grants, FEMA shall give preference to local education agencies that demonstrate that the grants will be used efficiently and effectively to secure school buildings or grounds.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5268 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5268

 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Secretary 
    of Homeland Security, through the Administrator of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, to make grants to eligible local education 
 agencies to provide improved security measures on school grounds, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 14, 2018

  Mr. Messer introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
   Committee on Education and the Workforce, 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 amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Secretary 
    of Homeland Security, through the Administrator of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, to make grants to eligible local education 
 agencies to provide improved security measures on school grounds, 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 ``Safe Schools Act''.

SEC. 2. MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM FOR SCHOOL SAFETY.

    Title XX of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 601 et 
seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

                    ``Subtitle C--Safe School Grants

``SEC. 2031. SAFE SCHOOL GRANT ESTABLISHED.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, through the Administrator, is 
authorized to make grants, to be known as `Safe School Grants' to 
eligible local education agencies to provide improved security measures 
at schools and on school grounds.
    ``(b) Uses of Funds.--Grants awarded under this section shall be 
distributed directly to local education agencies and shall be used to 
improve security at schools and on school grounds through one or more 
of the following:
            ``(1) Employment of additional school resource officers not 
        already employed by the local educational agency.
            ``(2) Entering into a contract or a memorandum of 
        understanding with a local law enforcement agency, private 
        entity, or nonprofit corporation for the services of school 
        resource officers.
            ``(3) Increasing coordination with local law enforcement.
            ``(4) Purchasing equipment, technology, or infrastructure 
        improvements to--
                    ``(A) control access to school campus, buildings, 
                and classrooms;
                    ``(B) expedite notification of first responders; or
                    ``(C) inhibit weapons from entering a school 
                building.
    ``(c) Preferential Consideration.--In awarding grants under this 
subtitle, the Secretary shall give preferential consideration, if 
feasible, to local education agencies that demonstrate that the grant 
will be used efficiently and effectively, as judged by the Secretary, 
to secure school buildings or school grounds.
    ``(d) Grant Limit.--A grant authorized under this subtitle shall 
not exceed a Federal contribution of more than $50 per student 
currently enrolled (as defined by the relevant State educational 
authority) per year, for each school building and school grounds for 
which the local education agency applies under this subtitle.
    ``(e) Matching Funds.--The Federal share of the total costs of a 
program funded by a grant under this subtitle may not exceed 50 
percent.
    ``(f) Equitable Distribution.--In awarding grants under this 
subtitle, the Secretary shall ensure, to the extent practicable, an 
equitable geographic distribution among the regions of the United 
States and among urban, suburban, and rural areas.
    ``(g) Administrative Costs.--The Secretary may reserve for 
administrative costs not more than 2 percent from amounts appropriated 
to carry out this subtitle.
    ``(h) Applications.--To receive a grant under this subtitle, a 
local education agency shall submit an application to the Secretary at 
such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the 
Secretary may require with respect to each school building or school 
grounds area for which the local education agency intends to use funds 
provided under this subtitle. Each application shall--
            ``(1) include a detailed explanation of--
                    ``(A) the intended uses of funds provided under the 
                grant; and
                    ``(B) how the activities funded under the grant 
                will meet the purpose of this subtitle; and
            ``(2) be accompanied by an assurance that the application 
        was prepared after consultation with individuals not limited to 
        law enforcement officers (such as school violence experts or 
        child psychologists) to ensure that the improvements to be 
        funded under the grant are--
                    ``(A) consistent with a comprehensive approach to 
                preventing school violence; and
                    ``(B) individualized to the needs of each school at 
                which those improvements are to be made.
    ``(i) Guidelines.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
enactment of this subtitle, the Secretary shall promulgate guidelines 
to implement this subtitle.

``SEC. 2032. DEFINITIONS.

    ``In this subtitle, the following definitions shall apply:
            ``(1) Local education agency.--The term `local education 
        agency' has the meaning given such term under section 8101 of 
        the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        7801).
            ``(2) School resource officer.--The term `school resource 
        officer' has the meaning given such term in section 1709 of the 
        Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 
        10389).

``SEC. 2033. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
subtitle the following:
            ``(1) $80,000,000 for fiscal year 2018; and
            ``(2) $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 
        2024.

``SEC. 2034. ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS.

    ``Not later than November 30 of each year, the Secretary shall 
submit a report to the Congress regarding the activities carried out 
under this subtitle. Each such report shall include, for the preceding 
fiscal year, the number of grants funded under this subtitle, the 
amount of funds provided under those grants, and the activities for 
which those funds were used.

``SEC. 2035. REPORTS BY GRANT RECIPIENTS.

    ``(a) In General.--As a condition of receiving a grant under this 
subtitle, a local education agency annually shall submit to the 
Secretary a report on activities performed using grant funds during the 
preceding fiscal year.
    ``(b) Contents.--Each report submitted under subsection (a) shall, 
at a minimum, include, for the applicable local education agency--
            ``(1) the amount obligated to that recipient under this 
        subtitle for that fiscal year;
            ``(2) the amount of funds received and expended under this 
        subtitle by that recipient in that fiscal year;
            ``(3) a summary description of expenditures made by that 
        recipient using such funds, and the purposes for which such 
        expenditures were made; and
            ``(4) other reporting metrics the Secretary shall prescribe 
        for the purposes of tracking and determining the effectiveness 
        of the activities performed using grant funds.

``SEC. 2036. GAO REVIEW.

    ``The Comptroller General of the United States shall review the 
validity of each report submitted by the Secretary under section 2034 
not later than 120 days after the date on which such report is 
submitted. The Comptroller General shall submit to the Congress a 
report containing the findings of such review and shall provide any 
recommendations for additional review or other requirements that could 
improve the effectiveness of the program established under this 
subtitle.

``SEC. 2037. CONSTRUCTION.

    ``The provisions of subtitle B shall not be construed to apply to 
this subtitle.''.
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