Commissioner of education authorized to award school safety facility grants to schools to enhance safety for students and staff, Northern Lights Express funds cancelled, and money appropriated.

HF 3492 authorizes Minnesota's commissioner of education to award school safety facility grants of up to $500,000 per school for security improvements like updated entry systems or safety equipment. It directly affects public, charter, tribal, and nonpublic schools statewide, with at least half the grants prioritized for schools outside the seven-county metro area. The bill appropriates $25 million from the general fund for these grants and cancels $25 million previously allocated to the Northern Lights Express rail project to fund this initiative. Grants require applications detailing other funding sources and cannot be disbursed until construction bids are secured.