[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6613 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6613

To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish Regional School 
   Safety Development Centers to provide consultation for schools to 
 develop or improve a school safety plan based on evidence-based best 
                   practices, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 6, 2023

 Mr. Rutherford (for himself, Mr. Neguse, Mr. Tony Gonzales of Texas, 
  Mr. Kilmer, Mr. James, Mr. Correa, Mr. Fitzpatrick, and Mrs. Hayes) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                      Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish Regional School 
   Safety Development Centers to provide consultation for schools to 
 develop or improve a school safety plan based on evidence-based best 
                   practices, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Preparing Leaders to Assess Needs 
for School Safety Act of 2023'' or the ``PLAN for School Safety Act of 
2023''.

SEC. 2. SCHOOL SAFETY DEVELOPMENT CENTER PROGRAM.

    (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:

``SEC. 2220F. SCHOOL SAFETY DEVELOPMENT CENTER PROGRAM.

    ``(a) In General.--The Director shall make awards, including 
grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements, to eligible entities to 
establish, improve, or maintain State-wide or intrastate regional 
School Safety Development Centers for the purposes of providing 
customized consulting services to schools to develop, improve, or 
implement the school's individualized school safety plan.
    ``(b) Awards.--
            ``(1) Application.--To seek an award under this section, an 
        eligible entity shall submit an application to the Director at 
        such time, in such manner, and containing such information as 
        the Director may require. At minimum, any such application 
        shall include evidence of the applicant's expertise in 
        comprehensive school safety and school climate, including 
        evidence-based violence prevention for students and educators, 
        suicide prevention, student mental health, and school security.
            ``(2) Preference.--In making awards under this section, the 
        Director shall, as appropriate, give preference to eligible 
        entities that have existing relationships with local schools, 
        particularly those in rural, Tribal, or low-resourced 
        communities, as applicable by the proposed geographical area, 
        or minority-serving institutions described in sections 371(a) 
        and 326(e)(1) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        1067q(a) and 1063b(e)(1)).
            ``(3) Use of funds.--Activities eligible for funding 
        through an award under this section include the following:
                    ``(A) Developing communications materials for and 
                disseminating to schools, educators, parents, legal 
                guardians, and youth, and increasing State-wide or 
                intrastate regional public awareness of evidence-based 
                research and best practices for school safety and 
                student mental health.
                    ``(B) Conducting individualized consultations with 
                schools to research and analyze a school's existing 
                school safety and student mental health policies, or 
                developing or improving, in coordination with a school, 
                a customized school safety and student mental health 
                plan to fit the individualized, age- and 
                developmentally-appropriate needs of such school 
                community based on evidence-based best practices.
                    ``(C) Assisting schools in the implementation of 
                their customized school safety and mental health plan, 
                including the following:
                            ``(i) Identification of Federal or State 
                        government funding for enactment of the plan, 
                        in whole or in part.
                            ``(ii) Provide training, resources, or 
                        technical assistance to assist schools in 
                        applying for such Federal or State government 
                        funding.
                            ``(iii) Providing training, resources, and 
                        technical assistance to educate school staff 
                        and families regarding the policies and 
                        procedures of the plan.
            ``(4) Matching requirement.--The Federal share of the cost 
        of activities for which a grant is made to an eligible entity 
        under this section may not exceed 95 percent of the total cost 
        of such activities.
    ``(c) Award Administration.--
            ``(1) Training and technical assistance.--The Director, in 
        consultation with the Secretary of Education and the Youth 
        Advisory Council (established pursuant to paragraph (2)(C)), 
        shall provide training and technical assistance to State-wide 
        or intrastate regional School Safety Development Centers on the 
        following:
                    ``(A) Best practices for individualized consulting 
                with schools based on their unique needs for 
                implementation in accordance with subsection (b)(3).
                    ``(B) Evidence-based practices and recommendations 
                established under section 2220D that are presented in a 
                clear and concise manner for schools and the public.
            ``(2) Subject matter experts.--
                    ``(A) Personnel.--The Director shall hire 
                additional personnel and contractors with expertise in 
                school mental health and school administration to 
                provide additional subject matter expertise in 
                implementing evidence-based programming within schools 
                to carry out paragraph (1).
                    ``(B) Detailee.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The Secretary of 
                        Education shall detail to the Agency an 
                        employee of the Department of Education to 
                        assist in the provision of the training and 
                        technical assistance described in paragraph 
                        (1).
                            ``(ii) Reimbursement.--The Secretary of 
                        Education shall reimburse the Director for any 
                        costs associated with the detailee under clause 
                        (i).
                    ``(C) Youth advisory council.--
                            ``(i) Establishment.--Not later than one 
                        year after the date of the enactment of this 
                        section, the Director shall establish and 
                        convene a Youth Advisory Council for the 
                        purpose of providing advice on the 
                        implementation of this section.
                            ``(ii) Participation.--The Youth Advisory 
                        Council shall include participation from the 
                        following:
                                    ``(I) Parents, academic experts, 
                                mental health professionals, and 
                                members of civil society with respect 
                                to the prevention of violence in 
                                schools.
                                    ``(II) Youth representation, 
                                including youth who have experienced 
                                school violence.
    ``(d) Report to Congress.--Not later than two years after the date 
of the enactment of this section and annually thereafter, the Director 
shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security, the Committee on 
the Judiciary, the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and the 
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, the Committee 
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and the Committee on 
Appropriations of the Senate a report on actions taken by the Director 
to implement this section, including information relating to the 
following:
            ``(1) The name, location, and number of eligible entities 
        in each State receiving awards under this section.
            ``(2) A comparative analysis of actions recommended in 
        school safety plans by School Safety Development Centers.
            ``(3) A formal evaluation of whether the activities 
        described in subsection (b)(3) were implemented by eligible 
        entities receiving awards under this section.
            ``(4) An assessment of the effectiveness of the School 
        Safety Development Centers in assisting eligible entities that 
        received awards under this section, including instances of 
        averted violence, including self-harm, if applicable, and 
        policy recommendations for improved effectiveness.
    ``(e) Rule of Construction.--
            ``(1) Waiver of requirements.--Nothing in this section may 
        be construed to establish, satisfy, or waive any requirement 
        under any of the following:
                    ``(A) Title II of the Americans With Disabilities 
                Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12131 et seq.).
                    ``(B) The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 
                et seq.).
                    ``(C) Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 
                U.S.C. 2000d et seq.).
                    ``(D) Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 
                (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.).
                    ``(E) The Age Discrimination Act of 1975 (42 U.S.C. 
                6101 et seq.).
                    ``(F) The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act 
                of 1973 (20 U.S.C. 1232g).
            ``(2) No effect on other laws.--Nothing in this section may 
        be construed to preclude or contradict any other provision of 
        law authorizing training in the use of firearms.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--To carry out this section, there are 
        authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000 for fiscal years 2025 
        through 2029.
            ``(2) Restriction on use of funds.--Amounts made available 
        to carry out this section may not be used to--
                    ``(A) consult or train any school or person in the 
                use of firearms; or
                    ``(B) hire school personnel or school-based 
                contractors.
    ``(g) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Eligible entities.--The term `eligible entities' 
        means any of the following:
                    ``(A) A State.
                    ``(B) A State educational agency (as such term is 
                defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
                Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
                    ``(C) A Tribal educational agency (as such term is 
                defined in section 6132 of the Elementary and Secondary 
                Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7452)).
                    ``(D) An institute of higher education eligible for 
                assistance under title III of the Higher Education Act 
                of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1051 et seq.).
                    ``(E) A Tribal College or University (as such term 
                is defined in section 313 of the Higher Education Act 
                of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c)).
            ``(2) Evidence-based.--The term `evidence-based' has the 
        meaning given such term in section 8101 of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
            ``(3) School.--The term `school' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 2704 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
        Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10554).
            ``(4) School safety plan.--The term `school safety plan' 
        means a set of common actions schools can take to address the 
        foundational elements of school safety, including designated 
        staff, school climate and mental health, reporting systems, 
        threat assessment, emergency planning, educator training, 
        student prevention training, exercises and drills, site 
        assessments, and recovery plans.''.
    (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. School Safety Development Center program.''.
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