HB 22-1120

HB 22-1120 recreates a funding program within the Department of Public Safety that provides money to schools and nonprofits for improving school security. This can include things like building safer facilities, training staff on threat assessment and emergency response, and teaching students resilience skills to prevent violence. Schools must match some of the funds they receive, and the department will track how the money is used. The program ends in 2032. Since it has been signed into law, schools can now apply for funding to make their environments safer.

Official Summary

The school security disbursement program (program), which was repealed in 2021, is recreated and reenacted in the department of public safety (department) to provide funding for school districts, district charter schools, institute charter schools, boards of cooperative services, and eligible nonprofit organizations (eligible entities) to implement school security improvements to prevent incidents of school violence. Eligible entities may apply for a disbursement by submitting an application to the department. An eligible entity that receives a disbursement may use the money for one or more of the following purposes: Capital construction that improves the security of a public school facility or public school vehicle; Training in student threat assessment for school staff; In collaboration with local law enforcement agencies, providing the training for peace officers on interactions with students at school; School emergency response training for school staff; Programs to help students become more resilient in meeting the daily challenges they face without resorting to violence against themselves or others; Developing and providing training programs, curricula, and seminars related to school safety incident response; and Developing best practices and protocols related to school safety incident response. The department is required to review the applications received from eligible entities and, subject to available appropriations, to disburse money to applicants that satisfy the application requirements from money credited to the school security disbursement cash fund. The department is required to give priority to applicants that commit to providing matching money for the amount of the disbursement received. Each disbursement recipient is required to report to the department concerning its use of the money, and the department is required to annually provide a summary of the reports to specified committees of the general assembly. The program is repealed, effective July 1, 2032. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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