HR6964-119

In Committee

To amend the National Security Act of 1947 to include school security as an element of the National Security Strategy, and for other purposes.

119th Congress Introduced Jan 7, 2026

Summary

What This Bill Does

This bill makes school security a national-security planning topic. It amends section 108(b) of the National Security Act of 1947 so the National Security Strategy must include strategies and capabilities needed to ensure the safety and security of elementary schools, secondary schools, and institutions of higher education. It separately directs the Secretary of Education and Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a comprehensive assessment of threats to schools in the United States, consult with each State's chief executive, and jointly submit a report within 180 days to House and Senate education, workforce, homeland security, and governmental affairs committees plus congressional leadership.

Who Benefits and How

School districts, colleges, students, teachers, campus staff, and State education leaders benefit because school threats would be assessed at a national strategic level and reported to Congress. Congressional committees benefit from a cross-agency threat assessment instead of relying on separate Education or Homeland Security products. Governors benefit from formal consultation in the federal assessment.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Education Department staff and Homeland Security analysts must coordinate the assessment, consult every State governor, synthesize threats across elementary, secondary, and higher education settings, and deliver a congressional report within 180 days. Schools and State officials may need to provide information, respond to data requests, and review security practices. National Security Council staff must account for school security in future National Security Strategy drafting.

Key Provisions

  • Amends the National Security Strategy statute to include school safety and security strategies.
  • Requires Education and Homeland Security to conduct a comprehensive assessment of threats to U.S. schools.
  • Requires consultation with every State's chief executive.
  • Requires a joint report to congressional committees and leadership within 180 days.

Evidence Chain:

This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.

At a Glance

What This Bill Does

Adds school security to the National Security Strategy and requires Education and Homeland Security to assess threats to elementary schools, secondary schools, and higher education institutions in consultation with State governors and report to Congress within 180 days.

Key Policy Areas

Education, Defense, Law Enforcement

Primary Purpose

Adds school security to the National Security Strategy and requires Education and Homeland Security to assess threats to elementary schools, secondary schools, and higher education institutions in consultation with State governors and report to Congress within 180 days.

Policy Domains

Education Defense Law Enforcement

Substantive provisions

Identified Gains
  • School districts
  • College administrators
  • Students
  • Teachers
  • Campus staff
  • State education leaders
  • Congressional security committees
Model: codex-gpt-5 | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: ih
Students: ,
Teachers: ,
Campus staff: ,
School districts: ,
College administrators: ,
State education leaders: ,
Congressional security committees: ,
Identified Costs
  • Education Department staff
  • Homeland Security analysts
  • State governors
  • School security offices
  • National Security Council staff
Model: codex-gpt-5 | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: ih
State governors: ,
School security offices: ,
Education Department staff: ,
Homeland Security analysts: ,
National Security Council staff: ,

Legislative Progress

In Committee
Introduced Committee Passed
Jan 7, 2026

Mr. James (for himself and Mr. Ryan) introduced the following …

Jan 7, 2026

Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in …

Jan 7, 2026

Introduced in House

Stakeholder Effects

cui bono?

How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.

Government
4 mentions across 2 clauses
+1 positive -3 negative

Congressional security committees, Education Department safety staff, Homeland Security analysts

Positive-direction: Congressional security committees

Negative-direction: Education Department safety staff, Homeland Security analysts, National Security Council staff

Education
4 mentions across 2 clauses
+3 positive ?1 uncertain

College administrators, School districts, School security offices

State & Local Government
1 mention across 1 clause
-1 negative

State governors

2/2
sections analyzed
Full impact breakdown

Bill Structure & Actor Mappings

Who is "The Secretary" in each section?

Domains
Education Defense Law Enforcement

We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.

Learn more about our methodology