Senate passes measure allowing temporary door locks in schools to enhance safety
Photo illustration by Getty Images.
Legislation aimed at making schools and other buildings safer during emergency events, like active shooters, passed through the Senate on Monday.
House Bill 651, sponsored by Rep. Amy Regier, R-Kalispell, creates an exemption in state fire code for temporary door locks in public buildings.
Temporary door locks can help save lives, according to a study published in the Journal of Mass Violence Research. In fact, the Sandy Hook Commission, a report by the federal government, found in 2015 that there has never been an active shooter event where the shooter breached a locked door.
'Currently, our fire code is fairly direct and provides no exceptions,' Regier said during the bill's hearing on March 21 before the Senate State Administration Committee. 'It states it is unlawful to obstruct a fire exit or any hallway corridor or entrance way leading to a fire exit. Yet in an active shooter emergency, one of the first steps that is recommended to protect potential victims is to secure the door.'
A code official, or whomever has jurisdiction of a building, would have to approve of the use of temporary locks, and they could only be used in a 'shelter-in-place or emergency lockdown situation.'
The bill had several proponents during the hearing, including from the Montana Police Protective Association and the Montana Professional Firefighters.
Both said the door locks Regier's legislation permits would not be a barrier for emergency access to buildings.
'I think this is a good idea,' Carter Marsh, representing Montana Professional Firefighters, said. 'I think it can keep our kids safe, and I think that we should take any step we can, and it still allows for local control to have that ultimate say.'
A company, Nightlock, also spoke in favor of the legislation. That company sells locks that can quickly be put in place during an active shooter situation. They are stored near a room's entrance and are physically taken and put under the door.
The House voted 97-3 to approve the legislation, while the Senate voted 49-1 during the bill's second reading. It will still need one more procedural vote by the Senate to reach the Governor's desk.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Elon Musk's crash-out killed conservatives' momentum — and likely guaranteed passage of Trump's ‘big beautiful bill'
Earlier this week, it looked like Elon Musk had delivered arch conservatives a gift when he trashed President Donald Trump's 'One Big, Beautiful Bill.' On Tuesday, Musk called the legislation an 'outrageous, pork-filled, disgusting abomination.' It seemed like a boon for some of the fiscal conservatives in the Senate like Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin who criticized the fact the bill still blows up the deficit. Had Musk stopped there, he probably would have given fiscal conservatives additional leverage. House Speaker Mike Johnson had spent much of the first part of the year getting every faction of the House GOP on board with the bill despite fiscal conservative grumbling. But Johnson admitted during his weekly press conference that he had tried to call Musk with no response. Immediately, House Republicans and members of the Freedom Caucus — including its former chairman Scott Perry and Andy Ogles, who has tried to allow Trump to run for a third term — voiced their criticisms of the bill that they had when it was being deliberated. They could have voiced them at any moment but did not. It clearly showed that they had abandoned their fiscal conservative principles in fear of the pressure campaign from Trump. Had Musk kept his critiques strictly to the bill, the tech tycoon could have offered an effective counterweight to give conservatives leverage against leadership given his immense wealth and his wide reach as owner of X. But the world's richest man chose to blow that to smithereens when he turned the attacks personal. First, he said that Trump would not have won the presidency, Republicans would have lost the House and would have a smaller minority in the Senate had it not been for Musk's money, before huffing 'such ingratitude.' Then Musk lobbed the ultimate grenade when he said that Trump had not fully released the 'Epstein files' —information related to the late financier who parlayed his money into sex trafficking teenaged girls — because Trump was mentioned in them. The Tesla founder took it a step further by calling for Trump's impeachment. Not only did Musk's words permanently spike any chance for reconciliation, it killed any chances for budget reconciliation, the arcane process through which Republicans hope to pass the 'One Big, Beautiful Bill.' Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, who has spent much of the legislative process in the House trying to make the bill more conservative but ultimately voted for it, tried to split the difference. 'He's got concerns with the bill, he's a free American, and he can speak freely and and God bless him for what he's been doing to try to make improvements,' Roy told The Independent. 'Again, is it what Chip Roy would draft? Not even close. But did it move in the right direction to get to a place that I felt comfortable sending it to the Senate to see if they could make it better? Sure.' Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who has spent much of the new Congress trying to declassify information related to Epstein, said it was too early to tell about the Senate bill since text did not exist. 'I've always been a big fan of going back to pre-Covid spending levels,' Luna told The Independent, but understood it would require negotiation. Rep. Andy Harris, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, who ultimately voted 'present' on the bill last month, said he agreed. 'I still think his concerns about the deficit are real,' he said. But the damage might already be done. If Republican elected have learned anything in the past decade, they've learned that their voters are not so much devoted to conservative ideals; they're devoted to Trump. Deviation from Trump, even in the name of conservative principles like restraining spending and balanced budgets, amounts to heresy. Musk's decision to start talking about forming another political party further alienates him from the GOP. He is now no longer part of the Trump coalition or even the Republican coalition. That means that fiscal conservatives cannot depend on him to drop millions of dollars for people opposed to the reconciliation bill or if he does, that it will immediately be tainted as money coming from a heretic. This makes Senate and House leadership's job easier. It gives them a foil to oppose and allows critics of the bill to tied to Musk. And they've already seen that most Republicans' bluster about spending levels are just that given that they will ultimately fold. Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee spent much of the early parts of the reconciliation process intimating to reporters that he would not vote for the bill only to fold. As votes wrapped on Thursday, he did not seem worried about it all. 'It's just two biggest dogs in the pound, they're both gonna fight a little,' he said. Except now, Musk just defanged fiscal conservatives.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Lululemon fans furious as tariffs threaten to drive prices even higher amid stock plunge
Lululemon lovers are already stretching their wallets to the limit — and now they've had enough. Fans and critics alike were clucking their tongues Friday after the athleisure giant warned customers they'd soon be paying even more for already-pricey workout gear — following a whopping stock nosedive. The culprit? President Donald Trump's tariffs — and, apparently, broke Americans tightening their purse strings. Advertisement 'We experienced lower store traffic in the Americas, partially reflective of economic uncertainty, inflationary pressures, lower consumer confidence, and changes in discretionary spending,' the company said in a recent statement. Translation: Even the brand's cult-following of millennial and Gen Z yoga bunnies aren't splurging $128 on leggings like they used to. 4 Even Lululemon's loyal legging junkies — from millennial moms to Gen Z gym rats — are tightening their waistbands on those $128 yoga pants. Bloomberg via Getty Images Advertisement Execs are scrambling as the one-time Wall Street darling fell short of analyst predictions, seeing just a 1% increase in sales year-over-year, falling short of the 3% forecast. 'We are planning to take strategic price increases … on a small portion of our assortment, and they will be modest in nature,' chief financial officer Meghan Frank said on an earnings call, adding the hikes will roll out within weeks. 'It will be price increases on a small portion of our assortments, and they will be modest in nature,' she claimed. 4 The blame for all this? President Trump's tariffs — and cash-strapped shoppers cutting back. REUTERS Advertisement CEO Calvin McDonald admitted he was 'not happy' with U.S. growth figures and blamed the belt-tightening on skittish shoppers. 'We experienced lower store traffic … lower consumer confidence,' he echoed. While some may point to floundering new lines like the Glow Up collection or Daydrift trousers, the company is pinning the blame on tariffs — particularly those slapped on goods made in Vietnam and China, where the company sources most of its fabrics. In 2024, 40% of Lululemon's products were made in Vietnam, and 28% of its fabrics came from mainland China — both hit hard by Trump's trade crackdown. Advertisement Now, Lulu says it's working to cut costs and negotiate with vendors to offset the tariff hit. But customers aren't exactly downward dogging in support. On X, disgruntled users lashed out at the brand's pricing and manufacturing decisions. 4 The athleisure company says it's trimming costs and haggling with vendors to ease the tariff pain — but shoppers aren't exactly striking a warrior pose in approval. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images 'You better get it together. Lulu. Using tariffs as an excuse in your rest of the year outlook is not a smart move. Amazon/Walmart tried this it didn't go well. You're Down 65$ today. Our family was a big lulu fan not so much anymore,' one raged. 'For what they charge for their products, you'd think it was made in America,' snapped another. 'It can't be that yoga pants shouldn't cost $125 a pair. No. That's not it,' someone joked. Others were more blunt: 'Their stuff is ridiculously overpriced… total ripoff.' 'Lululemon's collapse isn't about tariffs — it's about betting on foreign manufacturing while ignoring American resilience,' one critic seethed. Advertisement They continued, 'Relocating production… was always a gamble, and now they're paying for it.' Some simply slammed the entire brand: 'Lululemon clothing is so overpriced — always has been. Only the Gen Zers think its the name on them that make them special.' 4 In 2024, Lulu pumped out 40% of its gear in Vietnam and got 28% of its fabrics from China — two prime targets in Trump's tariff smackdown. Bloomberg via Getty Images Advertisement Another scorched: 'Stupid rich women paying exorbitant prices for stretch pants. SMH.' Despite the backlash, Lululemon doesn't appear to be sweating just yet — but with costs climbing and customers stretching their budgets, the future might not be quite so flexible.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Former Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley 'weighing' U.S. Senate run for Georgia
Former Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley is considering a new profession. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the former Vols coach is weighing his options on joining the upcoming U.S. Senate race in Georgia. Dooley, who would be joining the Republican Party, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he hasn't entered his name yet into the race against Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff, and will have a decision on whether he'll enter the Republican primary in the "coming weeks." REQUIRED READING: Why Tennessee football fans are dissatisfied despite Josh Heupel's wild success "Georgia deserves strong, common-sense leadership in the U.S. Senate that represents all Georgians and focuses on results — not headlines," Dooley told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I believe our state needs a political outsider in Washington — not another career politician — to cut through the noise and partisanship and get back to real problem-solving." As noted by Saturday Down South, Dooley received a law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1994. Dooley, 56, is also the son of legendary Georgia coach Vince Dooley, who still holds the record as the Bulldogs' winningest coach with 201 victories. In his three seasons at Tennessee, Dooley led the Vols to a 15-21 overall record. His best season came during his first season on Rocky Top, as Tennessee went 6-7 overall and earned a berth to the Music City Bowl. Tennessee would lose its lone bowl game under Dooley, 30-27 to North Carolina in 2010. Following his tenure at Tennessee, Dooley spent four seasons in the NFL as the Dallas Cowboys' wide receiver coach before returning to the college ranks to be the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Missouri from 2018-19. His most recent coaching job came as a senior offensive analyst at Alabama for Nick Saban across the 2022 and 2023 seasons. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Former Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley 'weighing' U.S. Senate run
