SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A bill by Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Bakersfield) to foster better communication between schools and law enforcement to identify threats to student safety passed the Emergency Management Committee today.

“The Valley Youth Safety Act comes from difficult conversations with local parents, educators and law enforcement – all demanding we solve a student public safety crisis before another tragedy happens,” Senator Hurtado said. “Fundamentally this bill is about protecting our kids by making sure the right people can share information, identify real threats, and act early – before another family is left grieving.”

Senate Bill 1181 requires the Office of Emergency Services to establish the Central Valley School Safety Coordination Pilot Program to work on improved communication between schools and regional fusion centers in order to get ahead of impending threats to student safety. The bill would also require the program to be implemented in certain counties – namely the counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Tulare, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus.

Senator Melissa Hurtado is Chair of Senate Budget Subcommittee #4 on State Administration and General Government and currently represents the 16th Senate District in the California Legislature, which includes portions of Fresno, Tulare, Kings and Kern Counties.

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