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Michigan school safety bills begin 1st legislative hearings

Early versions of Michigan's first school safety reforms since the Parkland, Florida, mass shooting are steering toward campus security and away from gun laws. The Senate last week unanimously approved an extra $18.6 million for school safety initiatives this fiscal year. 

Meanwhile the House began hearings on a bipartisan school safety package and decided to earmark $25 million for school safety in next year's budget. The efforts would cement Michigan's most sweeping campus security protocols yet and establish a school safety commission to control the funds being debated in House and Senate budget talks. Lawmakers agree school security funding has been a long-neglected priority, especially in Michigan's most cash-strapped districts.

The legislative activity emerges more than two months after a shooting inside a Florida high school claimed 17 lives.

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