Ensuring Safer Schools Act of 2023

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2541 To prioritize the hiring and training of veterans and retired law enforcement officers as school resource officers, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 6, 2023 Mr. VAN DREW (for himself, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. BARR, Mr. BACON, Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS, and Mr. DIAZ-BALART) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs, and Education and the Work- force, 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 prioritize the hiring and training of veterans and retired law enforcement officers as school resource officers, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ensuring Safer 4 Schools Act of 2023’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:07 Apr 14, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2541.IH H2541 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2541 IH SEC. 2. USES OF COPS GRANTS TO HIRE VETERANS AND 1 RETIRED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AS 2 SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS. 3 Section 1701(b)(12) of the Omnibus Crime Control 4 and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381(b)(12)) 5 is amended by inserting ‘‘, and the hiring and training 6 of veterans and retired law enforcement officers to serve 7 as school resource officers’’ after ‘‘offenses’’. 8 SEC. 3. PREFERENTIAL CONSIDERATION OF APPLICATIONS 9 FOR CERTAIN GRANTS. 10 Section 1701(c) of the Omnibus Crime Control and 11 Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381(c)) is amend- 12 ed— 13 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the 14 end; 15 (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at 16 the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 17 (3) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol- 18 lowing: 19 ‘‘(4) for hiring and training veterans and re- 20 tired law enforcement officers as school resource of- 21 ficers.’’. 22 SEC. 4. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 23 Section 1701(d) of the Omnibus Crime Control and 24 Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381(d)(3)) is 25 amended by inserting after paragraph (3): 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:07 Apr 14, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2541.IH H2541 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2541 IH ‘‘(4) MENTAL HEALTH SCREENING AND TRAIN- 1 ING.—The Attorney General may provide technical 2 assistance to States, units of local government, In- 3 dian tribal governments, and to other public and pri- 4 vate entities using funds under this section for pur- 5 poses described in subsection (b)(12) to provide 6 school resource officers with an annual mental 7 health screening and an annual training on tactics 8 and response.’’. 9 SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 10 Section 1709(4) of the Omnibus Crime Control and 11 Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10389(4)) is amend- 12 ed— 13 (1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), 14 by inserting ‘‘, veteran, or retired law enforcement 15 officer’’ after ‘‘career law enforcement officer’’; 16 (2) in subparagraph (F), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 17 the end; 18 (3) in subparagraph (G), by striking the period 19 at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 20 (4) by inserting after subparagraph (G) the fol- 21 lowing: 22 ‘‘(H) to meet at least annually with stu- 23 dents in order to increase familiarity between 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:07 Apr 14, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2541.IH H2541 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2541 IH students and the officer and to foster commu- 1 nity engagement.’’. 2 SEC. 6. COORDINATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF VET- 3 ERANS AFFAIRS. 4 The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall coordinate 5 with recipients of grants under part Q of title I of the 6 Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 7 U.S.C. 10381 et seq.) to connect veterans seeking to serve 8 as school resource officers (as such term is defined in sec- 9 tion 1709 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets 10 Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 1038)) with local law enforcement 11 agencies participating in school-based partnerships de- 12 scribed in section 1701(b)(12) of the Omnibus Crime Con- 13 trol and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 14 10381(b)(12)). 15 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:07 Apr 14, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H2541.IH H2541 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS