The Texas House has passed sweeping legislation, intending to increase school safety across the state.
House Bill 3, authored by Rep. Dustin Burrows, dedicates new funding for districts to improve physical barriers and security technology, requires every district to place an armed guard on every campus, and gives the state more oversight responsibility for safety protocol compliance. It passed 119-25. It now heads to the Senate.
HB 3 was amended to increase funding to schools for security purposes before it was passed. The cost of the bill was ultimately raised from $300 million to around $1.6 billion.
The extra funding will include an extra $15,000 per year, as well as $100 for each student who regularly attends class.
The executive director at the Texas School Alliance, HD Chambers, said that the extra funding will allow schools to individually and uniquely address their own problems that they might face.
“Access to mental health services is as important as any effort to harden campuses,” Chambers said, “Ultimately, each school district is unique and needs the resources and flexibility to enact solutions that work for its community.”
“The state of Texas must make fundamental changes the way we protect our school communities,” Burrows told members on the House floor Monday afternoon. “It is clear that we must not only beef up on campus security staffing, but also establish statewide standards for the security measures campuses must deploy.”
House Bill 3 would allow districts to fulfill the armed guard requirement with commissioned police officers, private security guards, or trained school staff.
House Bill 13 also passed on Monday. The bill, authored by Rep. Ken King, would make further provisions for mental health training and armed security.
House Bill 13 passed with a 125-21 vote and now heads to the Senate.
HB 13 will provide district employees with a $25,000 incentive each year that they are certified as “school guardians,” or staff who can carry a gun in school. It would also require law enforcement officers to perform regular walkthroughs of schools, and school buildings.
The bill would also require each school district employee who regularly interacts with students would need to complete “mental health first aid training” to learn how to recognize and support students with mental health issues. Costs for that training would be covered by the Texas Education Agency.
Senate Bill 838 was also passed by the House with a 145-0 vote. Senate Bill 838, authored by Senator Brandon Creighton (R-Texas), will require schools to install silent panic buttons in every classroom in case of an emergency. The buttons would immediately alert law enforcement in case of an emergency in a classroom.
Senate Bill 838 was previously approved by the Senate and will now head to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk to be signed into law.
