Florida Senator Rick Scott Announces Legislation To Address 'FBI Failures' Regarding Parkland Shooting
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Florida Senator Rick Scott announced legislation Thursday to hold the Federal Bureau of Investigations accountable for its 'failures to address critical deficiencies in its handling of actionable intelligence' in regards to the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.
The 'Threat Information Protocol for Sharing (TIPS) Act' is supported by Stand with Parkland, an organization founded by the family members of the victims of the Parkland shooting.
"Not a day goes by that I don't think about the 17 souls that were taken from us in a brutal act of violence at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Following the tragedy, we all worked together to pass the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act to make our schools safer and prevent future tragedies, but we aren't finished. We cannot accept the repeated failures of the FBI to properly investigate and act on specific tips received about the Parkland shooter, as well as other perpetrators of mass violence in Florida. I'm proud to stand with the family members of the victims to announce the TIPS Act, which bridges the gap between federal and state law enforcement agencies by mandating information sharing of all state-specific criminal intelligence tips. This is about getting information on threats into the hands of the right people, who can ultimately prevent violence and protect our families," Scott said.
"After the tragedy at Parkland we were proud to work with then-Governor Scott to pass the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act into law. It instituted real reforms to harden our schools and keep students safe. Now we're honored to join him in supporting the TIPS Act, which addresses the failures of the FBI leading up to the tragedy that took our loved ones. No one at the FBI has been held accountable for their systemic failures, and one of the goals of Stand with Parkland's founding families is to make sure no parents or spouses have to go through what we have. Senator Scott has been a true friend and partner in the last year and a half and we're honored to endorse his bill and look forward to working with other members of Congress to see it become law," said Stand with Parkland President Tony Montalto.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said, "The TIPS Act will ensure that state and local law enforcement receive timely information from the FBI. I thank Senator Scott for proactively identifying ways we can prevent future tragedies, like Parkland from happening again."
The TIPS Act makes the information sharing process more transparent and accountable, and forces the FBI to be proactive with local law enforcement.
The TIPS Act will:
• Mandate information-sharing of all state-specific information received through the FBI's national tip line and online tip reporting website.
o The FBI must submit monthly reports of all information received about individuals and threats to the appropriate state law enforcement agency and Fusion Center.
o The monthly report must include the specific information received, including:
The name of the individual identified;
The nature, location, and date of the threat reported; and
The action taken by the FBI, if any.
• Demands increased accountability and oversight for the FBI's national tip line operations.
o Directs the Government Accountability Office to review and make recommendations to improve the FBI's processes and procedures in its operation of the national tip line; and
o Directs the FBI to annually report to Congress the number of criminal events associated with tips and information received through the national tip line, and the FBI's investigative action(s) based on such tips and information.