Schneider, Bost School Safety Proposal Passes House of Representatives
Bipartisan legislation helps schools acquire panic buttons to contact law enforcement in emergencies
Today, a bipartisan proposal focused on improving school safety introduced by U.S. Representatives Brad Schneider (D-IL) and Mike Bost (R-IL) passed the House of Representatives.
In January, Schneider and Bost introduced legislation, H.R. 4811, the Securing Our Schools Act, to help schools acquire panic buttons, offering a more immediate method of notifying law enforcement and first responders in case of a medical emergency, active school shooter incident, or natural disaster.
The Schneider-Bost proposal was incorporated into H.R. 4909, the STOP School Violence Act, a broader package aimed at addressing school safety, which passed the House today by a vote of 407-10.
"We have a responsibility to protect our children and young people where they learn," said Schneider. "I am proud of the bipartisan support Congressman Bost and I built together for the Securing Our Schools Act, and am very pleased this commonsense idea has now passed the House. This should be just the start of our work here in Congress on solutions to reduce gun violence and improve student safety, and I look forward to building on this progress in the days ahead."
"As a former first responder, I know response time is vitally important during emergency situations," said Bost. "We have panic buttons in banks, office buildings, and retail locations, there is no reason we shouldn't have them at our schools to protect our children. I'm proud the House passed this bipartisan, commonsense proposal I worked on with Representative Schneider to protect our kids."
Schneider and Bost both spoke on the House floor in support of the measure. Videos of Schneider's remarks and Bost's remarks are available online.
The Securing Our Schools Act currently has 49 co-sponsors, including 30 Republicans and 19 Democrats. Co-sponsors in the Illinois congressional delegation are Reps. Rodney Davis (R-IL), Robin Kelly (D-IL), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL).
In January, the Securing Our Schools legislation was endorsed by the National Sheriffs' Association and the National Education Association.