AUSTIN (KXAN) — Efforts to beef up a better law enforcement response in school shootings is making its way through the legislative process. House Bill 33, which establishes a statewide active shooter protocol, passed in the Texas House on Monday.
It’s called the Uvalde Strong Act. The legislation honors the victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde.
In May 2022, a gunman shot and killed 19 students and two teachers. More than 370 officers from several law enforcement agencies responded and waited more than an hour to confront and kill the gunman.
State Rep. Don McLaughlin, R-Uvalde, the bill’s author and former Uvalde mayor, said he was one of the first people on scene that day.
“There was chaos everywhere. Leadership was nowhere to be found. Agencies deflected blame instead of stepping up. The response just wasn’t delayed. It was disorganized, directionless and deadly.”
State Representative Don McLaughlin, R-Uvalde
He said the bill proposes that law enforcement train alongside school districts to better prepare for active shooter incidents. It would create a clear and unified statewide response protocol.
Back in 2022, a Texas House investigative committee released a report that claimed it could not find one person or one decision responsible for the shooting, but rather several failures paired with a chaotic environment that led to miscommunications and delayed responses.
“The bill mandates joint training exercises clear change of command and demands real time coordination between law enforcement and school districts,” McLaughlin said.
The legislation would also require agencies, like school district police departments, to have a public information officer who is certified in emergency communications.
“In Uvalde, in four days, the story changed five times so nobody knew what was going on,” McLaughlin said. “We didn’t get straight answers.”
McLaughlin said seven of the major law enforcement agencies gave their full support for this bill.
It will now go to the Senate for a vote.
“There’s nothing that anybody on this floor could say that would undo the tragedy of what happened in your community, but I think it’s important that it’s your first bill on this floor as a direct response to the failures that took place that day, and I’m grateful for the work you did on this welcome to the Texas House,” said State Rep. Joe Moody, D- El Paso.
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