U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL), chairman of the Republican Main Street Caucus, joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in prodding the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to hasten release of school safety funding guidance for America’s schools.
“Students should not have to wait any longer for these grants to improve security in their schools,” Rep. Davis said in a May 31 statement. “The DOJ should move quickly to make this funding available so we can make our schools safer and provide resources that will help prevent violence before it happens.”
Rep. Davis joined dozens of colleagues in signing a May 29 letter sent to U.S. Attorney General (AG) Jeff Sessions urging that the DOJ quickly release the school security grant program funds approved in March in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Omnibus bill.
“Once fully implemented, these initiatives will provide new sources of funding for programs, technology, and equipment that enhance school safety, including threat assessment teams, safety infrastructure, and training for students, teachers and law enforcement to help identify signs of violence and teach early intervention methods to prevent violence from occurring in the first place,” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter was spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), chairman of the School Safety Task Force, and U.S. Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL), a member of the Republican Main Street Caucus. Among those who also signed it were U.S. Reps. Barbara Comstock (R-VA), Fred Upton (R-MI), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Bruce Poliquin (R-ME), Dave Joyce (R-OH), Steve Stivers (R-OH), Leonard Lance (R-NJ), Susan Brooks (R-IN), Tom MacArthur (R-NJ), Michael Burgess (R-TX), Mike Bishop (R-MI), Jim Renacci (R-OH), Andy Barr (R-KY), and Lynn Jenkins (R-KS).
The lawmakers concluded in their letter that the sooner FY 2018 resources are made available to the nation’s schools, “the sooner we are taking real action to keep our school campuses safe from harm.”
Rep. Davis thanked Congressmen Bacon and Rutherford for their leadership on the issue and said he looks “forward to working with them, as well as the whole caucus, to make our schools safer.”
Of the 61 lawmakers who signed the letter, 29 of them are members of the Republican Main Street Caucus, which also supported the bipartisan STOP School Violence Act of 2018, H.R. 4909, introduced on Jan. 30 by Reps. Bacon and Rutherford and cosponsored by 100 congressmen. The caucus also earlier this year formed a School Safety Working Group led by Rep. Bacon.
“These initiatives by Main Street Caucus members will help our schools invest in security measures to protect students and collaborate with local law enforcement to prevent acts of violence in our schools,” said Rep. Davis in announcing the group’s support for H.R. 4909 in March.
“School safety is on the minds of so many parents, teachers and students throughout our districts and it’s critical we do what we can to help our states and local school districts make these investments,” he added.
The U.S. House of Representatives on March 14 passed H.R. 4909, 407-10, and sent the bill to the U.S. Senate, where it has been referred to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration.