Texas lawmakers OK bill mandating armed security in schools
FILE – Texas Governor Greg Abbott passes in front of a memorial outside Robb Elementary School to honor the victims killed in a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, May 29, 2022. Abbott again said on Thursday, July 14, 2022, he was initially misled about the police response to the Uvalde school massacre, calling it “shocking” that newly leaked video of officers hesitating for more than an hour does not match what he had first described to the public as a swift and brave confrontation. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills, File)
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(The Hill) – State lawmakers in Texas on Sunday approved a school safety bill, sending the proposal to the governor’s desk a year after the mass shooting massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
Texas House Bill 3 would require mental health training for school district employees who regularly interact with students and require at least one armed security officer at all campuses during regular school hours, among other provisions.
The Texas House passed the bill in a 93-49 vote on Sunday and cleared the Senate shortly after. It now heads to Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) desk for signature.
The bill goes before Abbott just over a year after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at the elementary school. The Texas Tribune first reported on the bill’s passage.
The police response to the Uvalde shooting drew scrutiny, and the tragedy renewed discourse over gun control and safety for children in schools.
“Too many schools, too many everyday places have become killing fields in communities across America. And in each place, we hear the same message: Do something. For God’s sake, just do something,” President Biden said in remarks to mark the shooting’s anniversary, urging “It’s time to act.”
The Texas House has been recently beleaguered after the state’s Attorney General Ken Paxton called for the state House Speaker to resign — and then a House investigative panel voted to impeach Paxton for a separate matter.
