HARTFORD, Conn. – The International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) has issued the following legislative alert regarding the College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007, which if approved by the Senate would mean that schools would be required to notify the public within 30 minutes of receiving threats regarding the safety and health of students and faculty:
Last week, 80 IACLEA members sent messages in response to our email asking for your help in opposing a provision of a House bill that would mandate a 30-minute notification in the event of a campus emergency. We appreciate your support, but we need as many of our members as possible to make your opinions known.
IACLEA has prepared a background piece that explains the problems college and university public safety agencies would experience if the 30 minute emergency notification clause is left in proposed legislation. We have also prepared a sample letter to Chairman George Miller of the House Education and Labor Committee. It is important for Chairman Miller and other House members to hear from IACLEA members.
Please consider writing a letter immediately to the House Committee leadership or to your Representative in Congress. Letters to Rep. Miller should be faxed to (202) 226-5398, Attn: Gabriella Gomez, but addressed to Chairman George Miller.
The full House has approved the legislation and it appears headed for a House-Senate Conference committee to resolve differences in the bills between the two chambers. The sooner you contact Chairman Miller, the better positioned we will be to see a reasonable piece of legislation. You can also write to Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, the ranking Republican member on the Education Committee. Letters to Rep. McKeon should be faxed to (202) 226-0683. See the link to a background piece on this provision as well as sample letters.
To access these materials on the IACLEA web site please visit:www.iaclea.org/visitors/about/Legislative/index.cfm
To locate your Representative in the House, please visit:www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml
The Senate has no similar provision and final language will be worked out between the House and Senate versions. We have strong support in the Senate for the judgment of campus officers handling emergencies. We need your help to ensure that we have the same support in the House.
We encourage you to send a copy of your correspondence to the appropriate representative of your campus administration. Please let IACLEA’s government relations office know when you fax a letter ([email protected]). Together we can have a positive impact on this important issue.
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IACLEA Feb. 26, 2008 press release
