Richard Hudson: “As the father of an elementary school child, I am devastated every time we have a school shooting. That is why…”

“As the father of an elementary school child, I am devastated every time we have a school shooting. That is why identifying solutions to stop these tragedies is so important to me. There are only two significant gun safety bills to pass Congress recently. Both were Republican bills passed by a Republican majority and signed by a Republican President. The Democrats' mantra has been ``do something.'' My Republican colleagues and I know that the American people expect us to do something that matters. That is why I introduced H.R. 7966, the STOP II, Secure Every School and Protect our Nation's Children Act. It builds on the STOP School Violence Act signed into law in 2018 and redirects unused COVID-19 funding to provide $1 billion to hire school resource officers, and it provides $1 billion to hire mental health guidance counselors. Our guidance counselors are wonderful, caring people who are stretched too thin. They may not always have the time they need to reach all the children who need help. There is $5 billion included to fund STOP School Violence programs that harden schools, expand active shooter training, and provide resources for law enforcement, school officials, and students to intervene before someone reaches a breaking point. Under my legislation, schools can also apply for threat assessments to identify weaknesses in security and in mental health services.…”