Cloture Motion
Floor Speech
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Mr. SCOTT of Florida. When I heard the horrific news from Uvalde, TX, yesterday, I immediately thought of two things, my grandchildren, most of whom are in elementary school, and the 17 lives we lost in Parkland, FL, 4 years ago. Our hearts are shattered at the loss of these small children--19 children that are just in fourth grade and two teachers. It is infuriating and heart-wrenching.
I can't imagine losing a child or a loved one. Unfortunately, there are 17 families in Florida who don't have to imagine it. They know that pain and live it each and every day. There is seldom a day that goes by that I don't think about the families that lost their children and loved ones that day. No community should feel the pain that families in Parkland and Uvalde now feel. We will never be able to prevent every vicious crime, but we can and must act.
There are solutions to be found at the State level and the Federal level, and today, we can take action in the Senate to make our schools safer.
I want to thank Senator Johnson for leading this bill and Senators Rubio, Risch, and Grassley for their strong support of this legislation and other efforts to keep our kids safe.
This bill, the Luke and Alex School Safety Act was named in honor of Luke Hoyer and Alex Schachter. Luke and Alex were taken from us in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018, in Parkland, FL.
Since that horrible day, I have worked closely with many of the victims' families as Governor and now as Senator to do everything possible so that no child, educator, or family has to experience that again.
There is clearly a lot more work to do. This legislation, the Luke and Alex School Safety Act, codifies a Federal school safety clearinghouse by informing parents and educators on expert recommendations and best practices that schools can implement to improve school security. This bill builds on our work to keep schools safe and prevent another tragedy.
Today, we can get something done that creates safer schools for our kids and our teachers. I appreciate the work again of Senators Johnson, Rubio, Risch, and Grassley and all of our colleagues.
As we continue to pray for Uvalde and the families that have suffered this tremendous loss, I urge the Senate to pass this good bill and take a step in the right direction that keeps our kids and teachers safe.
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