H.R. 8506

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8506 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8506

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 27, 2026

Mr. Fleischmann introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Education and 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 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 Representatives 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:
(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 Programs 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 described 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 officers who 
have completed the State certification or 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 infrastructure and 
implementing technology and other measures that strengthen 
security on school premises, including--
(A) controlling access to school facilities through 
the installation of metal detectors, x-ray machines, 
fencing or gating, and surveillance cameras or systems;
(B) securing doors through the installation of 
external door passcodes, internal door locks, peepholes 
for classroom doors, automatic door locking mechanisms, 
and access control doors;
(C) securing glass in the building's exterior 
through the installation of forced entry or bullet 
resistant glass;
(D) glass in the building's exterior through the 
installation of forced entry or bullet resistant glass; 
and
(E) enhancing emergency responsiveness through the 
installation of increased lighting on school grounds, 
emergency call boxes, emergency alerts, and emergency 
generators.
(d) No Federal Interference.--In awarding grants pursuant to 
subsection (b), Attorney General may not--
(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, licensure, or other 
training program described in subsection (c)(1); or
(3) enforce any requirement relating to grant funds that 
would prevent a State or local educational agency from carrying 
out an eligible activity described in subsection (c).
(e) Nondiscrimination.--The Attorney General shall award grants 
pursuant to subsection (b) without respect 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.
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