Campus Safety Act

-The U.S. House of Representatives voted unanimously today to establish a National Center for Campus Public Safety to help colleges and universities respond to the security challenges of the 21st Century. The CAMPUS Safety Act of 2009 (H.R. 748), sponsored by Congressmen Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA-3) and Louie Gohmert (R-TX-1), now goes to the Senate for consideration.

The Center will be administered through the U.S. Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program. It will offer grants to institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations to provide campus public safety agencies with training and education, foster research to strengthen the safety and security of institutions of higher education, and coordinate campus safety information.

"Over the past few years, we have seen numerous tragedies occur at our colleges and universities, including the disastrous events that occurred at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University," stated Rep. Scott.

"It is important that while we remember those who were lost or impacted during the recent tragic attacks on our college campuses, we must also take steps to prevent future incidents," said Rep. Gohmert. "Equipping our higher institutions to be prepared in such extreme emergencies is in the best interest of our students, school staff, and our communities, and this bill will help us to carry out that priority of providing for their safety."

The bill authorizes up to $2.75 million per year for fiscal years 2009 through 2013 to fund the operations of the Cent