A bill aimed to protect students from school shootings passed the U.S. House this week.
The STOP School Violence Act would place emergency buttons in the classrooms. They would be similar to those used at banks in case of a robbery.
Republican Southern Illinois Congressman Mike Bost helped write a portion of the proposal.
"As a father and a grandfather, I know firsthand how important it is that our nation's children have a safe environment to grow and learn."
Bost says he understands how important safety is.
"As a former first responder, I know the response time is vitally important during any emergency situation. This bill makes it much easier for schools to increase their security and provide life-saving technology to contact first responders immediately when violence or any other emergency occurs. We already have panic buttons to protect our investments at our banks. Well, there's no greater investment in the country than our children."
The bill has 94 bi-partisan House co-sponsors, including a lawmaker who represents Parkland, Florida, where a gunman killed 17 last month at a local high school.
The U.S. Senate has not yet voted on the measure.
