Bill seeks to bolster school resource officer funding

U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) has introduced legislation that seeks to bolster funding resulting in law enforcement agencies hiring more school resource officers.

The School Resource Officer Act, which Newhouse co-authored with U.S. Reps. Chris Jacobs (R-NY), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Don Bacon (R-NE), and Mike Bost (R-IL), supports adding the law enforcement officers they noted are responsible for safety and crime prevention in schools.

“I am committed to ensuring central Washington students have the best learning environment available to them, which is why I have consistently advocated for school choice and more parental input in their child’s education,” Newhouse said. “This legislation goes a step further by directing additional funding toward school resource officers, who play a critical role in making students feel safe and are responsible for developing school safety plans. This important legislation protects our students and communities while ensuring that law enforcement agencies have the resources they need in order to provide this service to their communities.”

Bill provisions include earmarking $500 million for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2026; not less than 30 percent of funding for hiring programs within the COPS program will be used to pay school resource officer salaries and benefits; and federal funds may provide up to 75 percent of salary and benefits of full-time officers with a 25 percent minimum local cash match requirement.