Diaz-Balart Honors Parkland Victims, Reintroduces EAGLES Act
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-26) and Jared Moskowitz (FL-23) reintroduced the EAGLES Act, a bill named after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Eagles, which expands U.S. Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) to establish a national program focused on targeted school violence prevention and provides additional resources to expand research, information-sharing, and training on a national scale. Unlike its previous versions, this legislation also provides additional resources to broaden NTAC's program to include protection for workplaces and houses of worship.
"On the fifth anniversary of the tragic, senseless act of violence at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, that took the lives of 17 innocent individuals, I continue to pray for all those that experienced that horrific attack," said Rep. Diaz-Balart. "Sadly, after Parkland, these targeted attacks have become more common. As we have learned, threat assessments and early intervention are proven and effective ways to prevent violent conduct, and Congress must ensure that all communities are equipped with the tools to identify and respond to any and all threats. The EAGLES Act is a crucial step toward protecting our communities, schools, workplaces, and houses of worship by ensuring that they have the knowledge and resources to identify and respond to potential acts of targeted violence. I am proud to reintroduce this crucial bill and remain optimistic that it can soon become law."
"Five years ago, our community was rocked to its core by school violence. We must do everything in our power to leverage our best resources to keep our kids safe," said Rep. Moskowitz. "By building on the Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center model, schools and community leaders can receive trainings on how to prevent and respond to violence. By naming the legislation the Eagles Act, we will always remember the 17 lives lost at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the importance of preventing future school tragedies."
“I want to thank my friends Reps. Diaz-Balart and Moskowitz for their steadfast dedication to making our schools and communities safer for our children," said Max Schachter, Alex Schachter's father and Founder & CEO of Safe Schools for Alex. "The EAGLES Act is common sense legislation that will help prevent acts of targeted violence on campuses across our nation. I look forward to working with them to get this important legislation passed ASAP.”
"We are incredibly grateful to Rep. Diaz-Balart and Rep. Moskowitz their unwavering commitment to make America's schools safer. The reintroduction of the EAGLES Act brings us one step closer to ensuring that no parent ever has to experience the heartbreak of losing a child to preventable, senseless violence. We stand with them in this critical effort to protect our nation's students and teachers," said Tony Montalto, Gina Montalto's father and President of Stand with Parkland.
Background:
The U.S. Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) was created in 1998 to develop evidence-based indicators for various types of targeted violence, including school violence. NTAC's findings can then be used to develop best practices and training to prevent future acts of violence. Since 2002, Secret Service has conducted hundreds of training operations for more than 198,000 school administrators, teachers, counselors, mental health professionals, school resource officers, and other public safety partners. The demand for NTAC training has significantly increased in recent years, with participants including faith-based leaders, workplace managers, school personnel, mental health professionals, law enforcement, and others.
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