Committee takes no recommendation on $5 million fund for firearm‑detection software after debate

Senator Padilla introduced Senate Bill 136 to establish a Firearm Detection Software Fund and requested a $5 million appropriation from the general fund for fiscal year 2026 to provide grants to school districts and charter schools seeking advanced firearm-detection software.

Under the bill's language described to the committee, qualifying systems must detect visible, unholstered firearms on school premises; integrate with existing surveillance and security systems; be developed in the United States using proprietary data; be evidence-based or previously used by public education or federal entities; be managed by a contracted vendor connected to a continuously staffed operations center; and meet an optional U.S. Department of Homeland Security Safety Act designation referenced in the bill.

Supporters at the hearing included Stan Rounds of the coalition of education leaders and Burgess Nichols of ZeroEyes, which provides commercial firearm-detection services. Nichols described the Safety Act designation and cited recent operational results: "We had over 1,300 live detections of firearms leading to 31 arrests," he said, urging the committee to adopt standards that ensure reliability.

Motorola Solutions, represented by Mark Duran, said the company supports school safety and would work with the sponsor on technical amendments. Multiple senators praised the bill's goal but raised questions about scope, lifecycle costs and limits of the technology.

Committee and public questions focused on two technical limits the witnesses described: the systems detect brandished or unholstered firearms (form factor-based detection), not knives or concealed weapons, and they rely on a human reviewer in an operations center to verify AI-flagged detections before dispatching law enforcement. Burgess Nichols explained the AI detects the "form factor" of a firearm; a human then reviews the detection to reduce false positives.

Several senators urged broader, holistic approaches and wider coverage. Senator Ramos said he would prefer funding to cover every school in the state. Senator Soles and others expressed concern about tying state funds to a specific technology and about the potential for a narrow procurement market. Senator Padilla said the bill was not intended to favor a single vendor and required federal Safety Act or similar standards to ensure multiple qualified vendors could compete.

After extended discussion the committee adopted a motion of "no recommendation" (no rec) on Senate Bill 136; sponsors indicated they would continue to refine technical and procurement language and work with stakeholders and the finance committee on funding scope.