Public Safety and Justice Update: 9/15/23

There were a record 188 school shootings resulting in injuries or deaths in the 2021-22 school year, according to the latest available data included in a report released today by the Education Department’s National Center for Education Statistics…

According to a new report released by the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the rate of nonfatal violent victimization in the United States rose to 23.5 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older in 2022, after reaching a 30-year low of 16.4–16.5 during 2020–2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic…

Mobile crisis teams have been around for decades in places like Oregon, Arizona, and Georgia and in March 2022, the White House included them as a key pillar of its mental health Unity Agenda, investing almost $1 billion into community-based services that include mobile crisis response…

A Philadelphia police officer was charged with murder after he fatally shot 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry at near point-blank range…

Complying with court orders to end unconstitutional policing in Minneapolis will require hiring nearly three dozen new workers at a cost of millions of dollars each year for years…

Lawmakers wrapping up the legislative session this week have sent dozens of bills to Gov. Gavin Newsom on weighty topics including guns, drugs, and crime and punishment…

Convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante evaded authorities for two weeks despite a substantial manhunt launched following his escape from Chester County Prison in Pocopson Township, a Philadelphia suburb…

Hunter Biden was indicted this week on federal firearms charges, the latest step in a long-running investigation…

The sudden retirement announcement of San Jose’s civilian police watchdog followed an encounter at a community festival in which she appeared to drunkenly accost police officers working security at the venue…

Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for the central role he played in organizing his followers to attack the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021…

School Safety/Back to School Update - 9/14/23

More than three years after COVID-19 pushed schools into remote learning and sparked a wave of cyberattacks against K-12 infrastructure, President Biden’s administration is unveiling new attempts to protect schools…

On Thursday, 8/17, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Education (ED), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Justice (DOJ), launched a public awareness campaign to highlight federal school safety resources and evidence-based practices available through SchoolSafety.gov…

A group of lawmakers and Parkland activists announced new federal school safety legislation on Thursday afternoon, 7/27, in Capitol Hill…

Explore the crucial importance of school safety measures designed to protect our educational spaces…

The focus on youth mental health has become increasingly common across the country…

Substance Use/Opioids Update - 9/12/23

California

Activists recently introduced a ballot measure that would require courts to warn fentanyl dealers that their actions could lead to murder charges…

California cities and counties that want additional assistance from the state government in cracking down on illegal cannabis production or sales can now tap into a new state program…

Nationwide

According to a new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly a third of U.S. adults said they or someone in their family has been addicted to opioids…

Emergent has shipped the over-the-counter version of its opioid reversal medication Narcan to major retailers in preparation for a September rollout, the company announced Wednesday, 8/30…

The Biden administration’s Department of Health and Human Services is recommending that the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) significantly loosen federal restrictions on marijuana but stopped short of advising that it should be entirely removed from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA)…

The White House is asking Congress for an additional $350 million for its overdose epidemic response…

This guide examines the types of interventions that support successful reentry for adults with mental health conditions and/or substance use disorders who are leaving jail/prison…

The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) Drug-Related ED Visits Involving Suicide Attempts Short Report focuses on national estimates and characteristics of drug-related ED visits involving suicide attempts…

Weekly Update 9/11/23

Federal Government Funding: Appropriations

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has teed up a procedural vote today (9/11) that will allow the chamber to move forward on the Senate’s version of the FY2024 MilCon-VA, Agriculture, and Transportation-HUD bills…

A funding bump for community health centers is in the works in the Senate, where lawmakers are eyeing a bigger number than their House counterparts…

House Republican leaders unveiled their sweeping health package aimed at boosting transparency in the health care system and addressing drug costs on Friday, 9/8, boasting bipartisan support…

California

California Democrats on Thursday, 9/7, passed legislation that would fine school districts for rejecting textbooks or school library books for discriminatory reasons — a bill backed by Governor Gavin Newsom that he is expected to sign…

It’s long been a fact of life that California’s coastal cities are among the most expensive places to live in the country…

President and Administration

Updated COVID-19 vaccines are coming soon, just in time to pair them with flu shots. And this fall, the first vaccines for another scary virus called RSV are rolling out to older adults and pregnant women…

Education
As Minnesota law enforcement agencies continue to pull officers from school resource officer (SRO) positions in the wake of recent changes to Minnesota law, Governor Tim Walz says he hasn't ruled out using a special legislative session to address the issue…

A federal appeals court has rejected civil rights claims and upheld qualified immunity for a school resource officer who used a stun gun on a Texas high school student with an intellectual disability who was having a violent outburst…

An unprecedented infusion of aid money the U.S. government provided to schools during the pandemic has begun to dwindle…

As a new school year gets underway in California, districts are desperately trying to lure thousands of missing, tardy, and truant students back to the classroom in what many view as a pivotal moment for education in California…

Infrastructure and Transportation Update - August 2023

California

California Democrats trying to slow the rollout of driverless trucks are facing a powerful opponent…

San Francisco officials are asking a state regulator to change course and halt driverless car expansion, intensifying a battle over robotaxis in America’s tech hub…

Zero-emission vehicles comprised a quarter of the cars sold in California between April and June of this year, marking the first time the state has crossed that threshold, according to data published Wednesday, 8/2, by the California Energy Commission…

The State of California will be investing more than $750 million in locations where jobs are plentiful, but housing and green transportation is not…

The California High-Speed Rail took another important step toward becoming reality after the governing body’s board of directors began the process of obtaining possible vendors for the state’s most ambitious transit project in history…

California’s transportation infrastructure is no longer considered “high-risk,” 16 years after it was added to an inauspicious list by the California State Auditor…

Long Beach aims to launch an e-bike lending program to provide residents with up to 40 bikes—in one of the latest efforts in California to increase accessibility with green transportation…

Congress

 The first [mini] bus is here, Senate appropriators announced Wednesday, 9/6, with just 23 days left until government funding runs out…

President and Administration

On Tuesday, 8/8, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced that it is accepting applications for the second year of its Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program…

On Monday, 8/7, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the availability of approximately $13.4 million in competitive grant funds through the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning…

The Biden administration announced more than $15 billion in new funding opportunities to help spur domestic battery manufacturing and ensure U.S. auto workers are taking part in the transition to electric vehicles amid continued pressure from organized labor…

On Wednesday, 8/30, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would allow a waiver from some REAL ID rules in order to accept mobile driver’s licenses in the future…

President Biden dipped a toe into the contract talks between automakers and the UAW on Monday, 8/14, reaffirming his support for electric vehicle jobs as a path to the middle class while urging the companies to address the union's concerns over the transition…

The U.S. Department of Transportation has launched the Project Delivery Center of Excellence to help recipients of federal infrastructure funds deliver projects more efficiently and effectively, from concept to completion…

On Monday, 7/31, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced $102.3 million in funding to 17 transit agencies, cities, and planning councils in eight states and territories to help recover from recent natural disasters…

On Tuesday, 8/22, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced $8.8 million in grants for 10 projects in eight States and the District of Columbia to encourage the use of tools that can improve safety on bridges and in work zones…

Following an announcement of a private investment plan for 30,000 new electric vehicle chargers across the United States, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said government investment has paved the way for private companies to produce more electric cars…

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is requiring transit agencies across the U.S. to adhere to a new federal data reporting standard that will help the agency stay on top of current trends and evolve in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic…

Expanding broadband access is just one of the areas in which state and industry officials are scrambling to find workers as $550 billion in new federal infrastructure funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was passed in 2021, begins to come their way…

A training program operated by the National League of Cities (NLC) helps small cities apply directly for federal infrastructure funding. Participating cities have won $428 million since last summer…

On Wednesday, 8/9, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S.DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), launched the Heat-Related EMS Activation Surveillance Dashboard (“EMS HeatTracker”)…