MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The state Assembly has passed a Republican bill creating a grant program to help schools pay for armed guards.
The vote comes six days after a mass shooting at a Florida high school left 17 dead.
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Under the bill, school districts could receive grants from the state Justice Department for three consecutive years to pay armed security officers in schools with grades 5-12.
The grants would cover 75 percent of the cost the first year, 50 percent the second year and 25 percent the third year. The bill doesn't specify how large the grants would be or where DOJ would get the money.
The bill also would make purchasing a gun for someone prohibited from possessing one a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Repeat firearm violators would face a new mandatory four-year prison sentence through mid-2022.
The Assembly passed the measure 71-24 on Tuesday. The bill now goes to the state Senate.
