Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Judiciary panel advances bill to set statewide campus safety standards for colleges and universities
Summary
The Florida House Judiciary Committee voted 20-0 to report PCS/HB757, which would extend campus safety requirements to state colleges and universities, expand the Guardian program to postsecondary institutions, require threat‑assessment teams and rapid alert systems, and reimburse guardian training through the Department of Education.
TALLAHASSEE — The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday advanced PCS/HB757, a wide‑ranging campus safety bill for public colleges and universities that sponsors said responds to recent active‑shooter incidents and gaps in statewide preparedness.
Representative Jackie Salzman, the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure expands the Guardian program to allow eligible faculty and staff at postsecondary institutions to opt in as trained, concealed‑carry guardians, with training costs reimbursed by the Department of Education. "We will expand the Guardian grama to allow postsecondary institutions to opt in," Salzman said. "Institutions would identify criteria for eligible faculty and staff only, and where they could carry a firearm concealed as a guardian."
The bill would also require public institutions to install campus‑wide rapid‑alert systems, create and regularly update reunification plans for parents and students, convene threat‑assessment teams, require annual security assessments and locks on instructional spaces, and expand Fortify Florida to public and private higher education. It includes a new penalty that makes firing a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school a felony with arrest without bond.
Supporters from municipal governments, university administrators and advocacy groups waived in to record support. Jackie Wehmayer of the City of Parkland and other Parkland officials told the committee they backed the bill; Emma Guillardi of Moms Demand Action also waved in support. Ranking Member Gottlieb praised the bill and said he had raised questions in private but found the PCS acceptable. "I think this is wonderful," Gottlieb said.
Opponents who appeared in the public‑testimony list included several individuals who registered opposition on parts of the measure, though committee testimony on the PCS showed broad institutional support. Representative Salzman said the measure is the product of months of stakeholder work and multiple drafts to reach consensus. "We started this process 6 to 8 months ago just looking at the problem," she said in closing. "It needed to be something that not just Florida would be proud of, but that the nation would be proud of."
The committee voted 20‑0 to report PCS/HB757 favorably. The measure will proceed to the next committee of reference or the floor according to legislative scheduling.
What happened next: PCS/HB757 was reported favorably by the Judiciary Committee and will move forward in the legislative process.
