AUSTIN, Texas – A special Texas House committee is meeting Thursday to discuss mass violence preparedness and help identify policies, protocols, and strategies that will help create a safer environment in schools and local communities.
This is the third day of committee meetings for the Texas legislature. Special Senate committee meetings were held Tuesday and Wednesday.
Thursday’s hearing starts at 10 a.m. You can view a livestream of the testimony in the video player above. Delays are possible. If there is not a livestream available, check back at a later time.
The notice of public hearing states that the following charges will be considered during the meeting:
- Charge 1: Study the implementation and impact of Senate Bill 11 (86th Legislature, Regular Session) and any other pertinent laws. Identify additional policies, protocols, and strategies that will help create a safer environment in schools and local communities.
- Charge 2: Examine strategies to prevent acts of violence, including measures to enhance firearm safety in Texas.
- Charge 3: Evaluate the preparedness of and coordination between state and local agencies, non-governmental entities, and law enforcement for the prevention of and response to mass violence, including the content and efficacy of active shooter response training.
Tuesday’s meeting proved to be the most explosive testimony thus far for the string of meetings. During that meeting, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Col. Steven McCraw revealed a mountain of new details surrounding the Uvalde massacre that occurred on May 24.
Takeaways from McCraw’s Tuesday testimony included bombshell information regarding the timeline of the events that took place on May 24 — including the fact that there were a “sufficient number” of armed officers wearing body armor that could have stopped the rampage just three minutes after the shooter entered the building.
McCraw also revealed that the husband of slain elementary teacher Eva Mireles, who is an officer for the school district, tried to save Mireles but was barred from doing so by law enforcement officials on the scene.