New to the art form? This Wall Street Journal article will get you orientated. Also, for more information on how some of these titles mislead lawmakers and the citizenry, find some academic commentary from Brian Christopher Jones here: https://works.bepress.com/brian_jones/.

Friday, September 20, 2013

SAFE in Our Schools?

Rep. Donald Payne (D., NJ) has introduced the Secure America for Education (SAFE) in Our Schools Act, which, according to a press release, would "require each State applying for State Homeland Security Grant Program funding to certify that it requires schools to have adequate emergency preparedness plans in place in case of disaster."

Partial press release available below. 

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Payne Introduces SAFE In Our Schools Act

Sep 20, 2013 Issues: National Security
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10) authored and introduced the “Secure America for Education in Our Schools Act” or the “S.A.F.E. in Our Schools Act,” which would require each State applying for State Homeland Security Grant Program funding to certify that it requires schools to have adequate emergency preparedness plans in place in case of disaster.  At a Subcommittee Hearing entitled, “Assessing the Nation’s State of Preparedness: A Federal, State, and Local Perspective,” Kathy Spangler, Vice President of U.S. Programs at Save the Children commended Rep. Payne, Jr. on his efforts and fully endorsed the SAFE in Our Schools Act.
“Every day while more than 50 million children go to school, most Americans take for granted that their child will be safe once they walk through the school house doors,” said Rep. Payne, Jr., Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications and author of the bill.  “Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Most recently we have seen an increase in the number of natural and man-made disasters that put our children in danger, from Hurricane Sandy and the shootings at Newtown, to the Oklahoma tornadoes and the Colorado floods. We have a responsibility to protect our children, and I want to thank Save the Children for their support of my legislation and for all of their hard work in making sure that our children remain a priority in our disaster planning and preparedness efforts.”
“Past experience has shown us that children have unique needs when it comes to preparing for and responding to emergencies and potential disasters,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security and co-sponsor of the bill.  “Too often, these needs are not met when state and local governments craft homeland security preparedness policy.  I commend Ranking Member Payne, Jr. for introducing the ‘S.A.F.E. in Our Schools Act’ which will ensure that schools have the proper preparedness plans in place in case of emergency.” ...

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