What This Bill Does
This bill requires state educational agencies to hire school resource officers (armed law enforcement or security personnel) at elementary and secondary schools. The bill also cancels certain unspent money from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Who It Affects
State educational agencies, elementary schools, secondary schools, school resource officers, and students.
Key Provisions
• State educational agencies must ensure each elementary and secondary school under their control hires two full-time school resource officers for every 500 students in attendance (Sec. 2(a)).
• School resource officers must be licensed to carry a firearm and trained to prevent student violence toward others and toward themselves (Sec. 2(a)).
• Schools cannot receive federal funding under any applicable education program unless they comply with the school resource officer hiring requirement (Sec. 2(a)).
• The bill cancels all unspent money from six programs created by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, including funds for state and local governments, emergency rental assistance, and transit grants (Sec. 3).
What Changes
Schools receiving federal education funds must hire armed school resource officers at the specified ratio. Money previously available from six American Rescue Plan programs becomes unavailable.
Important Definitions
The bill uses definitions from other federal laws for "elementary school," "secondary school," "state educational agency," and "school resource officer." These terms are not defined in this bill text itself.
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 2495
To require State educational agencies to hire and train school resource
officers, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 6, 2023
Mr. MIKE GARCIA of California introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition
to the Committees on Oversight and Accountability, Financial Services,
Transportation and Infrastructure, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to
be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
A BILL
To require State educational agencies to hire and train school
resource officers, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strengthening School
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Security for Students Act’’.
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•HR 2495 IH
SEC. 2. HIRING AND TRAINING OF SCHOOL RESOURCE OF-
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FICERS.
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(a) IN GENERAL.—No funds shall be made available
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under any applicable program to any State educational
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agency, unless such agency ensures each elementary school
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and secondary school under the jurisdiction of such agency
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hires two full time school resource officers for every 500
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students in attendance at such school who are licensed to
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carry a firearm and are trained to prevent student violence
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to others and self.
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(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
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(1) APPLICABLE PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘appli-
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cable program’’ has the meaning given such term in
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section 400(c) of the General Education Provisions
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Act (20 U.S.C. 1221).
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(2) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘elementary
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school’’, ‘‘secondary school’’, and ‘‘State educational
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agency’’ have the meanings given such terms in sec-
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tion 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
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cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
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(3) SCHOOL
RESOURCE
OFFICER.—The term
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‘‘school resource officer’’ has the meaning given such
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term in section 1709 of the Omnibus Crime Control
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and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10389).
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•HR 2495 IH
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
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authorized to be appropriated $28,000,000,000 for each
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of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.
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SEC. 3. RESCISSION OF CERTAIN AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN
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ACT OF 2021 FUNDS.
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The total unobligated balance of funds available
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under the following accounts and programs established by
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the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117–
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2; in this section referred to as ‘‘ARPA’’) are hereby re-
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scinded:
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(1) Fund for State, territories, tribal, and local
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governments under section 602 or 603 of the Social
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Security Act, as added by section 9901 of ARPA.
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(2) Emergency rental assistance under section
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3201 of ARPA.
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(3) State small business credit initiative under
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the State Small Business Credit Initiative Act of
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2010, as amended by section 3301 of ARPA.
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(4) Federal Transit Administration grants
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under section 3401 ARPA.
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(5) Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund under
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section 604 of the Social Security Act, as added by
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section 9901 of ARPA.
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•HR 2495 IH
(6) Global response funds under section 10003
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of ARPA.
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Æ
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