[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 67 (Tuesday, May 11, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5036-S5038]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CAMPBELL:
  S. 996. A bill to establish a matching grant program to help State 
and local jurisdictions purchase school safety equipment; to the 
Committee on the Judiciary.


                 STUDENTS LEARNING IN SAFE SCHOOLS ACT

  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, today I introduce the Students Learning 
in Safe Schools Act of 1999.
  This legislation would build on the successes of two bills I 
sponsored in the 105th Congress and that were signed into law, S. 2235, 
which established the Cops in Schools program and S. 1605, the 
Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 1998.
  Juvenile crime prevention, of course, is on all of our minds, 
particularly since the recent tragedy in Littleton. I think all of us 
know that violence has

[[Page S5037]]

gone up among youngsters and it threatens a safe learning environment 
for our students at school. As a former teacher, a deputy sheriff, and 
parent, I developed a special sensitivity long before I came to the 
Senate.
  On April 20, in my home State, 13 innocent victims, 12 students and 1 
very heroic teacher, were murdered at Columbine High School. This town 
is a very nice town. Littleton is a wonderful community. The school of 
Columbine is a nice school with few problems. I guess people are prone 
to say if it could happen there, it certainly could happen anywhere.
  Clearly, no student should have to go to school where they fear for 
their lives. Statistics on violence in schools are startling. In fact, 
recent reports indicated there were 173 violent deaths in U.S. schools 
between 1994 and 1998 and that 31% of children know someone their age 
who carries a gun. The National Education Association estimated that 
100,000 youngsters carry guns to school and 160,000 children miss class 
every day because they fear physical harm.
  We know that government cannot fix it all. We are being leaned on, of 
course, to pass more and more laws to correct all these problems, but 
most of us know there has to be teamwork involving students and parents 
and families and communities and religious leaders and school 
administrators.
  This teamwork should also include law enforcement officers working 
closely with schools. Teachers and principals simply do not have the 
training or equipment or resources to deal with the problem. And they 
shouldn't have to, they should be focusing on teaching our kids.
  That's why I introduced S. 2235 last year, the School Resource 
Officers Partnership Grant Act of 1998, to help stop school violence. 
S. 2235, which was signed into law last October, will create thousands 
of vital partnerships between state and local law enforcement agencies, 
and the schools, parents and children they serve and protect. Schools 
that establish these partnerships would be eligible to receive federal 
funding through the Justice Department to hire School Resource 
Officers, also known as SROs. SROs are career law enforcement officers, 
with sworn authority, within the Community Policing program, and will 
work in and around our schools.
  Working in cooperation with youngsters, parents, teachers and 
principals, these SROs would be able to keep track of potentially 
dangerous kids and effectively deal with them before things escalate, 
violence errupts, and youngsters get hurt. These SROs would work in our 
schools, not as armed guards, but primarially as people who would help 
resolve conflicts.
  There is $60 million in Cops in School grants which will be 
distributed this year alone. In fact, the Justice Department has just 
announced the first round of grants with hundreds of schools in 42 
states benefiting.
  The bill I am introducing today, the Students Learning in Safe 
Schools Act of 1999, would build on the Cops in Schools program to help 
improve school safety. The Students Learning in Safe Schools Act would 
provide federal matching grants to help schools buy metal detectors, 
metal detecting wands, video cameras, and other equipment needed to 
help make our schools safer. This bill calls for a matching grant of 
$40 million for each of the 3 fiscal years from fiscal year 2000 
through fiscal year 2002. The grants would be easily accessible to 
States, local governments, and school districts with a minimum of 
redtape. This is not a mandate, however. It is an opportunity for 
school districts to get some additional resources.
  This legislation calls for posting this new school safety equipment 
grant program on the Internet right next to the Cops in Schools program 
which can now be found on the Justice Department's web sight. This 
would help provide one stop shopping where people can go for help in 
getting both the safety personnel and safety equipment they need to 
help make their schools safer.
  I do not expect this legislation, of course, to solve all our 
problems but certainly it is another tool I hope will go a long way in 
reducing juvenile violence in schools.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  I ask unanimous consent that the bill be printed in the Record 
following my remarks.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 996

       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 ``Students Learning in Safe 
     Schools Act of 1999''.

     SEC. 2. MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM FOR SCHOOL SAFETY EQUIPMENT.

       (a) In General.--Part Y of title I of the Omnibus Crime 
     Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 is amended--
       (1) by striking the part designation and part heading and 
     inserting the following:

                   ``PART Y--MATCHING GRANT PROGRAMS

             ``Subpart A--Grant Program For Armor Vests'';

       (2) by striking ``this part'' each place that term appears 
     and inserting ``this subpart''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:

         ``Subpart B--Grant Program For School Safety Equipment

     ``SEC. 2511. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

       ``(a) In General.--The Director of the Bureau of Justice 
     Assistance is authorized to make grants to States, units of 
     local government, Indian tribes, and local educational 
     agencies to purchase school safety equipment for use in and 
     near elementary and secondary schools.
       ``(b) Uses of Funds.--Grants awarded under this section 
     shall be--
       ``(1) distributed directly to the State, unit of local 
     government, Indian tribe, or local educational agency, as 
     applicable; and
       ``(2) used for the purchase of school safety equipment for 
     use in elementary and secondary schools in the jurisdiction 
     of the grantee.
       ``(c) Preferential Consideration.--In awarding grants under 
     this subpart, the Director of the Bureau of Justice 
     Assistance may give preferential consideration, if feasible, 
     to an application from a jurisdiction that--
       ``(1) has the greatest need for school safety equipment, 
     based on the percentage of elementary and secondary schools 
     in the jurisdiction of the applicant that do not have access 
     to such equipment;
       ``(2) has a violent crime rate at or above the national 
     average as determined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; 
     or
       ``(3) has not received a block grant under the Local Law 
     Enforcement Block Grant program described under the heading 
     `Violent Crime Reduction Programs, State and Local Law 
     Enforcement Assistance' of the Departments of Commerce, 
     Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies 
     Appropriations Act, 1998 (Public Law 105-119).
       ``(d) Minimum Amount.--Unless all eligible applications 
     submitted by any State or unit of local government within 
     such State for a grant under this section have been funded, 
     such State, together with grantees within the State (other 
     than Indian tribes), shall be allocated in each fiscal year 
     under this section not less than 0.50 percent of the total 
     amount appropriated in the fiscal year for grants pursuant to 
     this section except that the United States Virgin Islands, 
     American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands shall 
     each be allocated .25 percent.
       ``(e) Maximum Amount.--A qualifying State, unit of local 
     government, Indian tribe, or local educational agency may not 
     receive more than 5 percent of the total amount appropriated 
     in each fiscal year for grants under this section, except 
     that a State, together with the grantees within the State may 
     not receive more than 20 percent of the total amount 
     appropriated in each fiscal year for grants under this 
     section.
       ``(f) Matching Funds.--The portion of the costs of a 
     program provided by a grant under subsection (a) may not 
     exceed 50 percent. Any funds appropriated by Congress for the 
     activities of any agency of an Indian tribal government or 
     the Bureau of Indian Affairs performing law enforcement 
     functions on any Indian lands may be used to provide the non-
     Federal share of a matching requirement funded under this 
     subsection.
       ``(g) Allocation of Funds.--Not less than 50 percent of the 
     total amount made available to carry out this subpart in each 
     fiscal year shall be awarded to units of local government 
     with fewer than 100,000 residents.

     ``SEC. 2512. APPLICATIONS.

       ``(a) In General.--To request a grant under this subpart, 
     the chief executive of a State, unit of local government, 
     Indian tribe, or local educational agency shall submit an 
     application to the Director of the Bureau of Justice 
     Assistance in such form and containing such information as 
     the Director may reasonably require.
       ``(b) Regulations.--
       ``(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     enactment of the Students Learning in Safe Schools Act of 
     1999, the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance shall 
     promulgate regulations to implement this section (including 
     the information that must be included and the requirements 
     that the States, units of local government, Indian tribes, 
     and local educational agencies must meet) in submitting the 
     applications required under this section.
       ``(2) Internet access.--The regulations promulgated under 
     this subsection shall provide for the availability of 
     applications for,

[[Page S5038]]

     and other information relating to, assistance under this 
     subpart on the Internet website of the Department of Justice, 
     in a manner that is closely linked to the information on that 
     Internet website concerning the program under part Q.
       ``(c) Eligibility.--A unit of local government that 
     receives funding under the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant 
     program (described under the heading `Violent Crime Reduction 
     Programs, State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance' of the 
     Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, 
     and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (Public Law 
     104-119)) during a fiscal year in which it submits an 
     application under this subpart shall not be eligible for a 
     grant under this subpart unless the chief executive officer 
     of such unit of local government certifies and provides an 
     explanation to the Director that the unit of local government 
     considered or will consider using funding received under the 
     block grant program for any or all of the costs relating to 
     the purchase of school safety equipment, but did not, or does 
     not expect to use such funds for such purpose.

     ``SEC. 2513. DEFINITIONS.

       ``In this subpart--
       ``(1) the term `Indian tribe' has the same meaning as in 
     section 4(e) of the Indian Self-Determination and Education 
     Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(e));
       ``(2) the term `school safety equipment' means metal 
     detectors, metal detecting wands, video cameras, and other 
     equipment designed to detect weapons and otherwise enhance 
     school safety;
       ``(3) the term `State' means each of the 50 States, the 
     District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 
     United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the 
     Northern Mariana Islands; and
       ``(4) the term `unit of local government' means a county, 
     municipality, town, township, village, parish, borough, 
     school district, or other unit of general government below 
     the State level.''.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 1001(a) of 
     the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 
     U.S.C. 3793(a)) is amended by striking paragraph (23) and 
     inserting the following:
       ``(23) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
     part Y--
       ``(A) $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2000 through 
     2002 for grants under subpart A of that part; and
       ``(B) $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2000 through 
     2002 for grants under subpart B of that part.''.

     SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING AMERICAN-MADE PRODUCTS 
                   AND EQUIPMENT.

       In the case of any equipment or products that may be 
     authorized to be purchased with financial assistance provided 
     using funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this 
     Act, it is the sense of the Congress that entities receiving 
     the assistance should, in expending the assistance, purchase 
     only American-made equipment and products, unless such 
     equipment or products are not readily available at reasonable 
     costs.

     SEC. 4. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING SCHOOL SECURITY.

       It is the sense of the Senate that recipients of assistance 
     under subpart B of part Y of title I of the Omnibus Crime 
     Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as added by this Act, 
     should, to the maximum extent practicable, seek to achieve a 
     balance between school security needs and the need for an 
     environment that is conducive to learning.

     SEC. 5. TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT.

       Section 202 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and 
     Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3722) is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:
       ``(e) School Safety Technology Development.--The Institute 
     shall conduct research and otherwise work to develop new 
     weapons detection technologies and safety systems that are 
     appropriate to school settings.''.

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I was happy to yield to the Senator from 
Colorado. He and I have had discussions of the terrible events that 
took place in Colorado. The distinguished Senator from Colorado and I 
wrote legislation on another area of law enforcement, relying on his 
experience and my experience in law enforcement. That was the 
bulletproof vests legislation which is now working very, very well.
  I mention this while the distinguished Senator from Colorado is still 
on the floor because we have had many discussions about law enforcement 
matters--most recently an event at the White House. It has been my 
experience, time and time again, the Senator from Colorado has given 
pragmatic and realistic solutions to law enforcement problems at a time 
when we can all get carried away by philosophical arguments. I found 
most law enforcement people tell me to save the philosophy for them to 
read in their retirement years--give them the pragmatic solutions today 
when they have to uphold the law.
  So I thank the Senator from Colorado.
                                 ______