Today, a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02), Congressman John Rutherford (FL-04), and the original cosponsors of the STOP School Violence Act (H.R. 4909), sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions asking that the Department of Justice work quickly to release guidance for the school security grant programs funded in the Fiscal Year 2018 Omnibus bill that was passed in March.

“Just earlier this month, we saw yet another horrific massacre in one of our nation’s schools,” said Congressman Bacon. “Congress has responded to these tragedies by passing and appropriating funds through the STOP School Violence Act, which provides money to schools for increased security, training, and technology. However, schools are still waiting on federal agencies of jurisdiction to start distributing these grants. Through this bipartisan effort, I hope Attorney General Sessions understands the need for this funding and acts quickly so we can protect our students and teachers. I thank my friend and colleague, Congressman Rutherford for introducing the STOP School Violence Act and for his continued work on this critical issue.”

“As a former sheriff and career law enforcement officer, I know firsthand the importance of taking a multilayer approach to ensuring the safety of our schools and our communities,” said Congressman Rutherford. “That is why I am proud to have introduced the STOP School Violence Act, which provides funding for training students, teachers, and law enforcement officers to identify signs of violence and know how to intervene before violence occurs in our schools while hardening the target to increase school security and facilitating coordination with local law enforcement and mental health professionals. We now need the Department of Justice to act quickly to issue the necessary guidance for these grants and work with community partners so that our states, localities, and tribes know how to access these new resources available to them.  We must act quickly to prevent the horrific tragedies we have experienced in Parkland, Florida, and now again in Santa Fe, Texas. There is no time to waste. I want to thank the original cosponsors of the STOP School Violence Act -- Congressmen Deutch, Rogers, and Kilmer -- as well as Congressman Don Bacon, for their work to prevent these horrific tragedies from occurring in the future and keep our children safe in our schools.” 

The letter was sent today, Wednesday May 30, 2018. In total, 46 Republicans and 15 Democrats signed onto the letter. To read a copy of it, click here.

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