Washington state Senate update

Two education related bills were passed by the Senate this week.

Second Substitute Senate Bill 5197

A bill requiring measures to promote safe school buildings passed the Senate on Feb. 11 by a vote of 47-0. The bill requires every school to have at least one silent alarm in its administrative offices to alert local law enforcement about a threat or potential threat to the school. It also requires all new or remodeled schools to be able to lock exterior doors remotely from the administrative offices and to be designed to restrict the general public from entering the school through the administrative offices. The state Superintendent of Public Instruction must create a model plan by June 1, 2014, and school districts must implement panic alarms by December 1, 2014.

5 Sen. Mark Mullet Y

31 Sen. Pam Roach Y

47 Sen. Joe Fain Y

 

Substitute Senate Bill 5445

A bill funding capital projects for schools passed the Senate on Feb. 11 by a vote of 47-0. The bill authorizes and appropriates $475 million in general obligation bonds for the 2013-15 school construction assistance program and for a $10 million grant program to improve security at public schools. The state supports local school construction through the school construction assistance program , which is administered by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

5 Sen. Mark Mullet Y

31 Sen. Pam Roach Y

47 Sen. Joe Fain Y

 

SOURCE: WashingtonVotes.org, a free, non-partisan website to find plain-English explanations of bills and a record of each legislator’s votes. Do you want to know more about your government? Visit www.WashingtonVotes.org.

 

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