National Strategy for School Security Act of 2025

Floor Speech

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Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2259) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the development of a national strategy to secure elementary and secondary schools against acts of terrorism, and ensure domestic preparedness for and the response to terrorism, and for other purposes, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 2259

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``National Strategy for School Security Act of 2025''. SEC. 2. NATIONAL STRATEGY TO SECURE SCHOOLS FROM THREATS OF TERRORISM.

(a) In General.--Subtitle A of title XXII of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 651 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section: ``SEC. 2220F. NATIONAL STRATEGY TO SECURE SCHOOLS FROM THREATS OF TERRORISM.

``(a) In General.--To assist in the domestic preparedness for and response to acts of terrorism and to coordinate Federal efforts to secure elementary and secondary schools (as such terms are defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)), not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary, in consultation and cooperation with the Secretary of Education and the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies and departments, shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a national school security strategy (in this section referred to as the `strategy'). The Secretary, in consultation and cooperation with the Secretary of Education and the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies and departments, shall brief such committees on the strategy.

``(b) Updates and Briefings.--The Secretary, in consultation and cooperation with the Secretary of Education and the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies and departments, shall, if appropriate, annually through 2033 update the strategy, and brief the committees specified in subsection (a) concerning any such update. If there is no such update for any given year, the Secretary shall submit to such committees a certification attesting thereto.

``(c) Contents.--The strategy, including any updates thereto, shall--

``(1) account for and describe all Federal programs, projects, activities, and authorities including associated spending levels, to secure elementary and secondary schools from acts of terrorism;

``(2) identify specific school security vulnerabilities related to acts of terrorism within the United States, and delineate goals for closing such security vulnerabilities;

``(3) describe actions to be taken to achieve such goals and the means necessary to do so, including steps to reform, improve, and streamline existing efforts to align the current threat environment to elementary and secondary schools; and

``(4) build upon existing or ongoing evaluations and avoid unnecessary duplication by reviewing the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of other appropriate working groups, committees, commissions, or entities established by the Department related to efforts to secure elementary and secondary schools against terrorism within the United States, and ensure domestic preparedness for and the response to terrorism.''.

(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 2220E the following new item: ``Sec. 2220F. National strategy to secure schools from threats of terrorism.''.

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Mr. GUEST. 2259.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2259, the National Strategy for School Security Act. Despite rising attacks against our Nation's schools, there is currently no comprehensive Federal strategy to protect schools from acts of terror.

This bill closes this dangerous gap, requiring DHS to produce a school security strategy that identifies and works to mitigate vulnerabilities. In doing so, our schools will no longer be soft targets.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this bill and to protect our children.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2259, a bill directing the Department of Homeland Security to develop a national strategy to help secure our elementary and secondary schools from acts of terrorism.

This bill moves us in the right direction. It acknowledges a painful truth, that the safety of our students and teachers cannot be taken for granted. It recognizes that schools need Federal support, coordination, and expertise to prepare for the threats they face, and it moves us on a bipartisan basis toward a more consistent, nationwide approach to keeping our children safe.

However, let me be clear. This is only a start. Creating a strategy is very important, but a strategy alone will not solve the problem. We owe it to every student, every educator, and every family to keep working to take meaningful, comprehensive action that matches the scale of the threats facing our communities.

I applaud my colleague Congressman Gonzales' efforts, and I encourage all my other colleagues to support H.R. 2259.

Mr. Speaker,

Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas. Mr. Speaker, as the founder and co- chairman of the Bipartisan School Safety and Security Caucus, I rise today to share a few words about my bill, the National Strategy for School Security Act.

As a father of six, I, too, share every parent and grandparent's worry when it comes to school safety. It is a sad reality that our Nation's schools have become soft targets for violence.

Across this Chamber, too many of our home districts have witnessed tragedies, including my own. In May of 2022, 19 children and two teachers were senselessly killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. Our children, the most vulnerable among us, sit in schools without a national plan in place to protect them from acts of terror.

This bill closes that gap. It requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop a strategy and place resources for securing our schools against acts of terrorism and best practices to prevent an act of violence from happening in the first place.

This bipartisan bill is a much-needed step toward safer classrooms across America.

Mr. GOLDMAN of New York.

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that school shootings and acts of targeted violence continue to devastate towns and communities across this country. They leave lasting trauma in classrooms, in families, and in the hearts of children who should never have to wonder whether they are safe at school.

H.R. 2259 deserves our support. It shows that even in a deeply divided Congress, we can still find common ground when it comes to protecting our children, but our work cannot end here with this bill. We must continue pushing for stronger, more comprehensive solutions that address the full range of threats to our schools and communities.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2259. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, as a Representative of a school that was once subject to an act of violence, I fully support this legislation, and I thank Representative Gonzales for his introduction of H.R. 2259.

I urge my colleagues to please support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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