House passes school safety bill

The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill to improve school safety on Wednesday. The measure, sponsored by Rep. John Rutherford, R-Fla., is the first gun-related legislation passed in Congress since the Parkland, Fla., school shooting that left 17 dead one month ago. The bill, passed by a vote of 407-10, authorizes $500 million in grants over 10 years for training and technology for school personnel, students, and law enforcement to prevent school violence. The funding will support school security training and infrastructure, threat assessment and crisis intervention teams, mental health resources, and efforts to coordinate law enforcement and school officials. The bill will now go to the Senate. The vote happened as the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on failures by the FBI and law enforcement to act on warning signs in the Parkland shooting. Meanwhile, student protesters gathered outside the Capitol and in front of the White House to call for more gun control measures.