House Passes Stop School Violence Act With Overwhelming Bipartisan Support.

Press Release

Today the House passed the Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act of 2018. Rep. Marshall cosponsored this legislation as well as the Securing Our Schools (SOS) Act of 2018 which also passed as part of today's vote. The SOS program grants funding so that schools can install panic buttons.

It was only one month ago that a psychopath killed 17 students, teachers, and faculty members at a school in Parkland, Florida. This attack and others like it have devastated our country.

"We are all human first, and we all deserve for our loved ones to feel safe in public spaces,"Congressman Marshall said. "I am heartened that today, we passed legislation that will give crucial assistance to our communities and help prevent these tragedies in the future."

The STOP School Violence Act, which passed with enormous bipartisan support, will provide funding for prevention training that will help students and staff recognize and respond quickly to warning signs of a possible attack.

"This legislation goes beyond keeping our schools safe, this bill will help our communities work together to identify threats in all public spaces, like airports, stadiums, malls etc. Our children, educators, and officers will now have the resources to report and better understand the warning signs. We as a nation, will be much safer with this law."

The bill also provides funds for technology and equipment to drastically improve school security. The STOP School Violence Act funding would create an anonymous reporting system via mobile apps, a hot-line, and a website where people can report or provide tips about individuals they believe may commit an act of violence.

"We must identify threats and prevent violence with training, coordination, and intervention. I think regardless of party affiliation we all share the same goal of a safer America, and this is a great step towards that."

The STOP School Violence Act, or H.R. 4909, now joins the Fix NICs Act of 2017 which has been waiting for a vote in the Senate since December, 2017. Fix NICs would strengthen background checks and close critical loopholes while making sure that states are reporting necessary information to the FBI.

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