School Safety Enhancements Act of 2008

SCHOOL SAFETY ENHANCEMENTS ACT OF 2008 -- (House of Representatives - September 15, 2008)

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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2352, the School Safety Enhancements Act of 2008, is a vital piece of legislation aimed at ensuring the safety of the students in our Nation's schools.

Over the last decade we've seen horrific school shootings and violence in at least 27 States. Ensuring the safety of our students and teachers at all levels is obviously a priority.

Sponsored by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Rothman), H.R. 2352 addresses this problem by providing increased funding for improving school security and making the grant program more accessible to schools in poor communities.

Specifically, the bill raises the authorization level of Federal grants from $30 million to $50 million for Fiscal Years 2009 and 2010. It also decreases the matching non-Federal funds requirement from 50 percent to 20 percent, raising the Federal portion from 50 percent to 80 percent. This change in funding ratios brings the percentage more in line with the traditional split for school grants, and would bring much-needed help to many schools.

Finally, the bill amends the Higher Education Act to require participating institutions to conduct annual campus assessments and develop and implement a campus emergency response plan. I urge my colleagues to support the legislation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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