Utah Senator Orrin Hatch to introduce school safety measure
Mar 13, 2018, 8:45 AM | Updated: 10:56 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – Wednesday marks one month since the tragic high school shooting in Parkland, Florida where 17 people were killed.
Senator Orin Hatch tweeted his support of the Students and Teachers and Officers Preventing School Violence Act (STOP School Violence Act) legislation, which he and a group of bipartisan senators will present at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
Sen. Hatch said he hopes this will “prevent future violence by making schools safer and preparing the school ecosystem to play a role in preventing violence before it happens.”
According to a press release from Sen. Hatch’s office, the bill would fund school security improvements and invest in early interaction and prevention programs to stop violence before it happens. They say the federal government has funded short-term school safety initiatives focused on these things in the past, but they have not yet seen sustained strategies. If passed, this bill would authorize $75 million for these initiatives for this fiscal year and $100 million annually for the next 10 years.
Despite the bipartisan support, even some supporting lawmakers say there will still be a need for more measures to protect students, including tougher gun measures and universal background checks.
