Campus safety received $7 million in approval for funding from the Senate Appropriations Committee to help colleges and universities to support emergency management and campus safety efforts. The funding must now be approved by the full House and Senate, but if approved, it will be used for the Campus Law Enforcement Emergency Response Act, which will help ensure that all colleges and universities develop emergency response procedures and campus notification systems, and test them on at least an annual basis. The funding was included in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Appropriations Act passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee last week.

The program aims to improve dissemination of information to colleges and universities about emergency management planning; to provide grants for training, technical assistance and risk assessments; and to help colleges and universities acquire technology needed for effective emergency response systems.