[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 195 (Wednesday, November 19, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H4785-H4786]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR SCHOOL SECURITY ACT OF 2025
Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 2259) 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, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 2259
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 ``National Strategy for School
Security Act of 2025''.
SEC. 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:
``SEC. 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'). The Secretary, in
consultation and cooperation with the Secretary of Education
and the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies and
departments, shall brief such committees on the strategy.
``(b) Updates and Briefings.--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) concerning any such update. If there is no
such update for any given year, 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.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Mississippi (Mr. Guest) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Goldman)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
{time} 1230
General Leave
Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.R. 2259.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Mississippi?
There was no objection.
Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2259, the National Strategy
for School Security Act. Despite rising attacks against our Nation's
schools, there is currently no comprehensive Federal strategy to
protect schools from acts of terror.
This bill closes this dangerous gap, requiring DHS to produce a
school security strategy that identifies and works to mitigate
vulnerabilities. In doing so, our schools will no longer be soft
targets.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this bill and to
protect our children. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2259, a bill directing the
Department of Homeland Security to develop a national strategy to help
secure our elementary and secondary schools from acts of terrorism.
This bill moves us in the right direction. It acknowledges a painful
truth, that the safety of our students and teachers cannot be taken for
granted. It recognizes that schools need Federal support, coordination,
and expertise to prepare for the threats they face, and it moves us on
a bipartisan basis toward a more consistent, nationwide approach to
keeping our children safe.
However, let me be clear. This is only a start. Creating a strategy
is very important, but a strategy alone will not solve the problem. We
owe it to every student, every educator, and every family to keep
working to take meaningful, comprehensive action that matches the scale
of the threats facing our communities.
I applaud my colleague Congressman Gonzales' efforts, and I encourage
all my other colleagues to support H.R. 2259.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Tony Gonzales).
Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Mr. Speaker, as the founder and co-
chairman of the Bipartisan School Safety and Security Caucus, I rise
today to share a few words about my bill, the National Strategy for
School Security Act.
As a father of six, I, too, share every parent and grandparent's
worry when it comes to school safety. It is a sad reality that our
Nation's schools have become soft targets for violence.
Across this Chamber, too many of our home districts have witnessed
tragedies, including my own. In May of 2022, 19 children and two
teachers were senselessly killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
Our children, the most vulnerable among us, sit in schools without a
national plan in place to protect them from acts of terror.
This bill closes that gap. It requires the Secretary of Homeland
Security to develop a strategy and place resources for securing our
schools against acts of terrorism and best practices to prevent an act
of violence from happening in the first place.
This bipartisan bill is a much-needed step toward safer classrooms
across America.
Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of
my time.
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that school shootings and acts of
targeted violence continue to devastate towns and communities across
this country. They leave lasting trauma in classrooms, in families, and
in the hearts of children who should never have to wonder whether they
are safe at school.
H.R. 2259 deserves our support. It shows that even in a deeply
divided
[[Page H4786]]
Congress, we can still find common ground when it comes to protecting
our children, but our work cannot end here with this bill. We must
continue pushing for stronger, more comprehensive solutions that
address the full range of threats to our schools and communities.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R.
2259. I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, as a Representative of a school that was once subject to
an act of violence, I fully support this legislation, and I thank
Representative Gonzales for his introduction of H.R. 2259.
I urge my colleagues to please support this legislation, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bost). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Guest) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2259, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________