A new Texas bill suggests offering a stipend of up to $25,000 to those who undertake the responsibility of being armed on school grounds.
If passed, House Bill 13 would allow teachers and staff of public and open-enrollment charter schools to receive up to $25,000 extra compensation for choosing to carry firearms for campus safety. However, they would need to complete courses in firearms training, first aid and mental health training, which would supplement the mental health training that Texas lawmakers are planning to make mandatory for all school employees.
In Texas, there is already a program that permits teachers to bear arms after undergoing firearm training, but the program has attracted limited participants. In the 11 years since the program was started, less than 400 teachers enrolled to become guardians under the program.
“What I want to pay them for is hopefully getting the training needed to spot the children before we have a problem,” said Republican state Rep. Ken King, who authored the bill.
Representative James Talarico, a Democrat and a former teacher, who opposed the proposal during the vote, expressed concerns that the bill could financially motivate struggling teachers to carry firearms.
“Even teachers who don’t want to carry guns may feel like they are financially pressured to do so just so they can provide for their families,” Talarico said.
The bill received bipartisan support and was passed by the Texas House with a large majority. However, it now faces an uncertain future in the Senate. There are only a few weeks remaining for Texas lawmakers to pass any school safety measures, as they are scheduled to adjourn on May 29, 2023.
A similar bill, HB 3, would require schools to have panic buttons and at least one armed security officer at every campus and is on its way to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk for final approval.
