The House has three bills in committee that seek to address the safety and security of our students, from kindergarten to university. And we are talking about physical safety to food security.
House Bill 311 will add colleges and universities to safe school zones. Thus, any person who knowingly possesses a firearm while in or on a college or university facility or campus may be charged as violating the Safe School Zone. Commissioned security guards and campus police are obviously exempt from the act if they are acting within their official capacity within a Safe School Zone while possessing their firearm.
A person convicted under this section will be guilty of a Class E felony.
| House Bill 311 — ADDING COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES TO SAFE SCHOOL ZONES | Currrent Status – House Judiciary 2/29/24 |
| House Sponsors – Romer, Johnson, Morrison | Senate Sponsors – Sokola, Gay, Hansen |
| House Yes Votes – | Senate Yes Votes – |
| House No Votes – | Senate No Votes – |
| House Absents or Not Voting – | Senate Absent or Not Voting – |
House Bill 306 permits the Division of Motor Vehicles to refuse to renew the registration of a vehicle that blows past the school bus stop sign as evidenced by School Bus Safety Cameras. I had no idea school bus cameras are reviewed automatically like red light cameras to issue tickets. I thought they were just there like dash cams for security purposes.
| HB306 — STOPPING FOR SCHOOL BUSES PUNISHMENT | Currrent Status – House Education 2/29/24 |
| House Sponsors – Williams, Cooke // Smith, Hilovsky, Short, Yearick | Senate Sponsors – Walsh, Hoffner, Mantzavinos |
| House Yes Votes – | Senate Yes Votes – |
| House No Votes – | Senate No Votes – |
| House Absents or Not Voting – | Senate Absent or Not Voting – |
House Bill 361 requires a public school to provide a breakfast meal and a lunch meal free of charge to a student who is eligible for a reduced-price meal.
This bill requires the Department of Education to reimburse public schools for the free meals required by this Act by paying the difference between the cost of the free meal provided to a student and the reduced-price meal.
| House Bill 361 – REQUIRES FREE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH MEAL TO ELIGILBLE STUDENTS | Currrent Status – House Education 3/28/24 |
| House Sponsors – Shupe, Hensley, Hilovsky, Jones Giltner // Johnson, Osienski | Senate Sponsors – Buckson |
| House Yes Votes – | Senate Yes Votes – |
| House No Votes – | Senate No Votes – |
| House Absents or Not Voting – | Senate Absent or Not Voting – |
Isn’t it interesting that as soon as HB 125, (which provides *all students* free breakfast and lunch regardless of income) started making it’s way through the legislature you had Republicans and “moderate” Democrats propose HB 361 as a way to means test a popular piece of legislation that’s been passed throughout many state legislatures and allows for it to be cut in the future by simply painting it as “inefficient” or ”welfare for lazy poor people”?