The House passed HB 1283 on the floor today.
The bill, authored by Representative Mark Baker passed by a vote of 114-3, but not after several amendments were offered. The bill in whole directly addresses the issue of active shooters entering schools and ensuring that administrators and students are prepared and protected.
A point of contention on the floor today was the requirement for students to participate in active shooter drills. Rep. Joel Bomgar and Rep. Criswell both offered amendments that would not require all students to attend these drills. Bomgar’s amendment would have left the decision on who is required to attend up to the schools and Criswell’s would require that parents are notified before a drill if they chose not to have their child participate.
Both amendments failed.
The one amendment that did pass was made by Rep. Paden and addressed regulatory mental health screenings of school students and administrators.
The bill now heads to the Senate for more debate.
Sarah Ulmer
