Texas Senate Advances 'Uvalde Strong' Bill to Improve School Shooter Response

A bill born from the tragedy at Robb Elementary is moving forward in the Texas Legislature, aiming to overhaul how first responders prepare for and act during active shooter events.

House Bill 33, also known as the “Uvalde Strong” bill, was advanced by the Texas Senate Criminal Justice Committee. Authored by Rep. Don McLaughlin (R), the former mayor of Uvalde, and sponsored by Sen. Pete Flores (R), the measure is a direct response to the catastrophic 77-minute delay in confronting the gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde in May 2022.

“Texas must take action to address our current shortcomings and future readiness for active shooter situations,” said Flores. “This bill makes notable reforms to ensure that our schools are a safe place to send our children.”

A federal investigation into the Robb Elementary shooting found widespread failures in leadership, communication, and training. Nearly 400 law enforcement officers from multiple jurisdictions responded, but a lack of coordination and clear command created chaos and paralyzed response efforts.

“We learned quite a bit from the Uvalde fiasco,” said Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa (D), who served on the committee that investigated the shooting. “There was no chain of command, no leadership, and no communication.”

HB 33 addresses these failures by mandating joint preparation between schools, local officials, and law enforcement agencies across all levels of government. The bill calls for standardized response protocols, frequent interagency planning meetings, and clearly defined roles in an active shooter scenario.

Leading the charge in training will be the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center at Texas State University in San Marcos. The center will be responsible for developing a uniform, statewide training program and for establishing a standard for after-action reports following an incident, a tool to identify and correct mistakes in future responses.

“Preparation, communication, training, all those things that were identified as hindering an effective response is what this bill is addressing,” Flores said.

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will play a key role in implementing HB 33. DPS Director Colonel Freeman Martin acknowledged the scale of the task, particularly in coordinating with sheriff’s departments in all 254 Texas counties.

“In the long run, I think it’s going to be really good,” Martin said. “It’s just going to be a lot of work to get there.”

If passed in the Texas Senate, HB 33 would represent one of the most significant legislative responses to the Uvalde tragedy, with the goal of ensuring a coordinated, immediate response in any future school shooting, and saving lives.