By Bill Carey
Police1
AUSTIN, Texas — A bipartisan bill requiring armed security inside all Texas schools passed the House after an hours-long debate.
The current language of the bill states that a school district could arm a teacher to meet the requirements of having an armed officer at every campus, Fox 4 KDFW reported.
“The teachers we personally interviewed in the hallway who talked about them going into school the next year did ask for some ability for someone defending and protecting that,” said State Rep. Dustin Burrows.
Burrows said the focus of the bill is to increase school safety, including hiring at least one armed security officer at every campus. The bill provides incentives for school employees to get certified to carry a weapon.
It also includes installing silent panic buttons in every classroom.
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who represents Uvalde, says the bill does not go far enough.
“I’m just not happy with the volunteer, weekend warrior cop. No offense,” Gutierrez said. He pointed out that dozens of armed law enforcement officers waited 77 minutes before taking out the gunman at Robb Elementary.
The bill’s cost, originally estimated at $300 million, has increased to $1.6 billion. It and a similar bill in the Senate head to committees for the working out of additional details.