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Committee advances bill creating Office of School Safety after amendment; vote 14-0
Summary
The Appropriations Committee on the floor advanced House Bill 1637, creating a state Office of School Safety and transferring an existing full-time position to serve as the office's director, after adopting amendment No. 6 and passing the amended bill by a roll-call vote of 14 in favor.
The Appropriations Committee on the floor advanced House Bill 1637, which establishes a state Office of School Safety and transfers an existing full-time position to serve as the office director, after adopting amendment No. 6 and passing the amended bill by roll call.
Supporters told the committee the bill combines staff from the Department of Education and the Department of Homeland Security and uses the current School Safety Board as the governing board of the new office. A presenter described the bill's fiscal approach and said the office would give the board expanded purchasing authority to pursue statewide programs such as school mapping and data collection that could lower costs for individual schools.
The presenter said stakeholders raised concerns in meetings about annual school safety inspections and asked that plans explicitly address door hardware and closures to ensure exterior and interior doors work properly. The presenter said schools would still be compelled to comply with existing code but that the bill would emphasize inspections of door closures.
Amendment No. 6 removed a proposed increase in the number of board members and struck two additional permitted uses of a fund tied to the board (the presenter cited concern that adding permitted uses would "drain the fund"). The amendment also removed a provision relating to a specific lock solution after committee members said they were unsure whether a single vendor would be the only provider for the hardware.
Committee members then moved the amended bill and called the roll. The transcript shows the following senators voting "aye": Senator Niez Katzke; Senator Pol; Senator Kidura; Senator Randolph; Senator Garten; Senator Holdman; Senator Brown; Senator Bassler; Senator Bridal; Senator Charbonneau; Senator Freeman; Senator Good; Senator Rotz; and Chairman Michler. The clerk announced, "Bill passes 14."
No committee report language or effective date for the new office was specified on the transcript. The transcript also does not specify later-stage procedural steps or whether the bill includes additional appropriations beyond moving the existing full-time position into the new office.
Committee members asked clarifying questions on the bill's operation and the removed provisions; one member said he supported the bill but wanted to discuss outstanding operational questions with the sponsor at a later time.
Votes and formal actions recorded in the hearing transcript are limited to the amendment-by-consent and the final passage vote recorded as "Bill passes 14."
