Alyssa’s Act of 2025

Bill Number

H.R. 6809

Origin Chamber

House

Congress

119th Congress, Session 1

Policy Area

Education

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2025-12-18: Referred to the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.

Last Updated

2026-07-09T13:27:22Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose of the Legislation

The bill, titled "Alyssa's Act of 2025," aims to reduce deaths and injuries from school emergencies, particularly school shootings, by expanding federal support for evidence-based school safety practices. It strengthens the Federal Clearinghouse on School Safety Evidence-Based Practices (a resource within the Department of Homeland Security) to provide better tools, training, technology, and data for prevention and response.

Key Provisions

• Expansion of the Federal Clearinghouse:
• Authorizes public education efforts, including programs for states and school leaders on preventing and responding to school emergencies.
• Requires training and technical assistance for schools and first responders on evidence-based safety practices, including customized advice for individual schools.
• Mandates hiring experts in school safety and administration to support implementation.
• Establishes a program to develop, test, and evaluate "panic alarm technology" (wearable devices for quick contact with emergency services), focusing on affordable, reliable equipment like visual strobes and audio tools, without federal manufacturing or sales.
• Allows projects for testing new technologies, standards, and methods to encourage adoption by schools.
• Provides special assistance for rural areas to improve emergency prevention and response.
• Ensures Clearinghouse guidance aligns with other federal agencies (e.g., Education and Health and Human Services), states, and private entities.
• Creates a National School Safety Data Center within SchoolSafety.gov to collect, analyze, and share data on school emergencies, including causes, trends, injuries, and safety plans; it standardizes reporting and helps prioritize solutions.
• Requires annual reports to Congress on Clearinghouse activities, including loss estimates, effectiveness assessments, and legislative recommendations.

• Leadership and Coordination:
• Designates a Director for the Clearinghouse within 120 days of enactment.
• Involves the U.S. Secret Service in aligning practices with its National Threat Assessment Center.
• Maintains an external advisory board with representatives from relevant fields.

• Emergency Response Maps:
• Prohibits federal funds (starting fiscal year 2026) for maps that do not meet standards, such as digital formats, real-time updates, interoperability with emergency systems, secure data sharing, U.S.-based storage, and annual verification by schools.
• Requires a strategy (due within 1 year) for procuring compliant maps for critical federal sites and distributing them to responding agencies, followed by a briefing to Congress.

• Master Plans:
• Mandates annual reports (starting 4 years after enactment) evaluating state and local "master plans" for school shooting prevention and response, including surveys of resources, needs analysis, cost estimates, and best implementation approaches.

• Limitations:
• Explicitly states the Clearinghouse has no authority to create new rules or regulations.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Amends Section 2220D of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 665k) by adding new subsections (f) through (o) to broaden the Clearinghouse's scope beyond current evidence-based practices to include education, training, technology development, data centers, and rural support.
• Introduces a dedicated Director role and enhances coordination with the U.S. Secret Service.
• Updates the external advisory board to allow broader composition without standard federal limits on advisory committees.
• Adds new definitions (e.g., for "panic alarm technology," "master plan," and "emergency response map") to clarify terms.

Potential Impacts

• Government Agencies: Increases responsibilities for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in leading school safety efforts, including data collection and technology testing; requires coordination with Education and Health and Human Services departments. Prohibits non-compliant map funding, potentially saving costs on outdated tools while standardizing federal responses.
• Citizens: Improves school safety through better prevention tools, faster emergency responses (e.g., via panic alarms), and data-driven planning, potentially reducing injuries and deaths in schools. Rural communities may see enhanced support for remote challenges.
• International Relations: No direct impacts, as the bill focuses on domestic U.S. school safety.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• Federal Agencies: DHS (primary implementer via the Clearinghouse), U.S. Secret Service, Department of Education, and Department of Health and Human Services.
• State and Local Entities: States, local educational agencies (school districts), law enforcement, and first responders (e.g., fire, health, and emergency services).
• Schools and Educators: School administrators, staff, and students who benefit from training, technology, and plans.
• Private Sector: Contractors for technology development and advisory board members from non-government organizations.
• Congress: Receives reports and strategies for oversight.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal: Reinforces evidence-based approaches without granting regulatory power to the Clearinghouse, preserving state and local control over school policies (aligning with federalism principles). Funding prohibitions ensure compliance with security standards, potentially limiting vendor options but promoting secure, interoperable tools.
• Constitutional: Supports the federal government's role in homeland security (under Article I, Section 8) by addressing national threats like school violence, without infringing on states' rights to education (Tenth Amendment).
• Political: Bipartisan sponsorship (e.g., by Reps. Owens, Gottheimer, Diaz-Balart, Moskowitz) signals broad support for school safety post-tragedies; annual reporting promotes accountability and could influence future funding or laws on gun violence prevention, though it avoids direct firearm regulations.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Owens, Burgess [R-UT-4]

Cosponsors (21)

Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5], Rep. Diaz-Balart, Mario [R-FL-26], Rep. Moskowitz, Jared [D-FL-23], Rep. Gimenez, Carlos A. [R-FL-28], Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4], Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC-1], Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1], Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7], Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2], Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25], Rep. Maloy, Celeste [R-UT-2], Rep. McBath, Lucy [D-GA-6], Rep. Wagner, Ann [R-MO-2], Rep. Moore, Blake D. [R-UT-1], Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13], Rep. Fine, Randy [R-FL-6], Rep. Subramanyam, Suhas [D-VA-10], Rep. McGuire, John J. [R-VA-5], Rep. Levin, Mike [D-CA-49], Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17], Rep. Whitesides, George [D-CA-27]

Recent Actions

• 2025-12-18: Referred to the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.
• 2025-12-17: Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
• 2025-12-17: Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
• 2025-12-17: Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
• 2025-12-17: Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
• 2025-12-17: Introduced in House
• 2025-12-17: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

• Alyssa’s Act of 2025 — issued 2025-12-17 — PDF (23 pages)