119 HR 2259 IH: National Strategy for School Security Act of 2025 U.S. House of Representatives 2025-03-21 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I 119th CONGRESS1st Session H. R. 2259 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 21, 2025 Mr. Tony Gonzales of Texas (for himself, Mr. Gottheimer, Mr. Lawler, Mr. Moskowitz, Mr. Evans of Colorado, Mr. Davis of North Carolina, Mr. Bacon, and Mr. Fitzpatrick) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security A BILL To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the development of a national strategy to secure elementary and secondary schools against acts of terrorism, and ensure domestic preparedness for and the response to terrorism, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the National Strategy for School Security Act of 2025.

2.

National strategy to secure schools from threats of terrorism

(a)

In general

Subtitle A of title XXII of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 651 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

2220F.

National strategy to secure schools from threats of terrorism

(a)

In general

To assist in the domestic preparedness for and response to acts of terrorism and to coordinate Federal efforts to secure elementary and secondary schools (as such terms are defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)), not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary, in consultation and cooperation with the Secretary of Education and the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies and departments, shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a national school security strategy (in this section referred to as the strategy). (b)

Updates

The Secretary, in consultation and cooperation with the Secretary of Education and the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies and departments, shall, if appropriate, annually through 2033 update the strategy, and brief the committees specified in subsection (a), as necessary, concerning any such updates. If there are no such updates, the Secretary shall submit to such committees a certification attesting thereto. (c)

Contents

The strategy, including any updates thereto, shall— (1)account for and describe all Federal programs, projects, activities, and authorities including associated spending levels, to secure elementary and secondary schools from acts of terrorism; (2)identify specific school security vulnerabilities related to acts of terrorism within the United States, and delineate goals for closing such security vulnerabilities; (3)describe actions to be taken to achieve such goals and the means necessary to do so, including steps to reform, improve, and streamline existing efforts to align the current threat environment to elementary and secondary schools; and (4)build upon existing or ongoing evaluations and avoid unnecessary duplication by reviewing the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of other appropriate working groups, committees, commissions, or entities established by the Department related to efforts to secure elementary and secondary schools against terrorism within the United States, and ensure domestic preparedness for and the response to terrorism.

. (b)

Clerical amendment

The table of contents in section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 2220E the following new item: Sec. 2220F. National strategy to secure schools from threats of terrorism..