New panel to advise Alabama lawmakers on school safety

Alabama House Speaker Mac McCutcheon

Alabama House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, speaks to a legislative advisory committee on school security on Oct. 16, 2018.

Alabama House Speaker Mac McCutcheon has set up a new Legislative Advisory Committee on School Safety and Security that held an organizational meeting on Tuesday.

It’s the latest in a series of moves by public officials to try to improve school safety and prevent tragedies such as the shooting that claimed 17 lives in Parkland, Fla., earlier this year.

Alabama lawmakers proposed a number of bills in response to that tragedy during their session earlier this year. McCutcheon said he wanted the committee in place before the next session in March, when school safety is expected to again be a key issue.

The committee includes representatives from education, law enforcement and mental health care, as well as legislators.

“Legislators think from a political agenda,” McCutcheon said. “It’s the nature of what we do. And I thought, wouldn’t it be good going into this next quadrennium if we had a panel of people who could bring expertise to the table from different fields to help us vet and evaluate these pieces of legislation.”

Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, who chairs the Education Policy Committee in the House, will chair the new advisory panel. Collins led a similar committee in 2016. Collins said the next meeting of the new panel would probably be in February.

The committee could then review pre-filed legislation and education budget recommendations before the legislative session starts in March.

The committee today heard an update on Gov. Kay Ivey’s school safety initiative.

Other members include Rep. Alan Baker, R-Brewton; Rep. Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville; Rep. Rod Scott, D-Fairfield; Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones; Alabama Department of Mental Health Legislative Affairs Director Holley Caraway; School Superintendents Association of Alabama Executive Director Ryan Hollingsworth; Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools Executive Director Vic Wilson; Alabama Homeland Security Director Shirrell Roberts; Alabama Department of Education Administrator Greg DeJarnett; Lee County Deputy Sheriff Pamela Revells; Alabama Department of Mental Health Commissioner Lynn Beshear, and Elmore County Public Schools Counseling Coordinator Emilie Johnson.

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