WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) last night provided notice of a committee hearing to take place on March 14, 2018, to focus on the tragic shooting that occurred in Parkland, Florida. Grassley publicly noted his intent to hold this hearing during the committee’s executive business meeting last week.
In the time since the Parkland shooting, Grassley has taken several oversight and legislative actions to prevent future mass shootings. To exercise oversight of the law enforcement and hear from the tech companies the Parkland shooter used to post disturbing content on the internet, Grassley requested and received:
· a briefing for judiciary committee staff from the FBI on the agency’s failure to act on tips it received about the shooter and its work relating to the shooting before and after it occurred (occurred February 23);
· a briefing from Google for committee staff on the company’s cooperation with law enforcement following revelations of comments made by the shooter on a YouTube video in the months before the tragedy (occurred February 23);
· a briefing from Facebook for committee staff on the company’s cooperation with law enforcement following revelations of the shooter’s alarming Instagram posts (occurred March 7)
Grassley introduced the Protecting Communities and Preserving the Second Amendment Act of 2018, which among other provisions, improves compliance with the National Instant Criminal Background Check database and supports school safety through federal Justice Department grants.
Grassley also has joined several school safety and firearm proposals, including:
· Senator Orrin Hatch’s Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act of 2018, which he helped draft;
· Senator Lamar Alexander’s School Safety & Mental Health Services Improvement Act of 2018;
· Senator John Cornyn’s Fix NICS Act of 2017.
Grassley continues to work with colleagues to explore other legislation to curb gun violence.
Last December, Grassley convened a hearing on the national background checks system and firearm accessories, including bump stocks.
The notice for next Wednesday’s hearing follows.
March 7, 2018 NOTICE OF COMMITTEE HEARING
The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled a hearing entitled: “See Something, Say Something: Oversight of the Parkland Shooting and Legislative Proposals to Improve School Safety” for Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at 9:30 a.m. in Room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building.
By order of the Chairman.
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