HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Tuesday marks three weeks since the mass shooting in Uvalde and efforts are ramping up to get new gun safety legislation passed in Congress.
Meanwhile, back in Harris County, a new proposal is on the table to help secure schools come the fall.
"We need to do something, and this is something we can do immediately," Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey said.
Ramsey wants to form the Harris County Safe School Commission and he's hoping for bipartisan support.
"What can we do here to make sure our schools are safe, and I think this is the quickest method to get immediate help to these 25 school districts," Ramsey said.
After tragedies like what happened in Uvalde and Santa Fe, Ramsey wants to see law enforcement, school superintendents and community leaders work together on a commission to figure out how best to protect students and teachers.
"Obviously, you have to look at the guns," Ramsey said. "How do people get guns? How do violent offenders get guns? I think you have to look at the whole gamut of issues, mental health."
Ramsey is hoping for a unanimous vote but right now that remains unclear.
"I'll entertain the conversation tomorrow ... see what more details he offers," Judge Lina Hidalgo said. "But my focus will continue to be on what the majority of Americans, what the majority of Texans want to see, some common-sense gun reform to go with anything else."
Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., modest reforms seem to be moving forward.
"I'm very proud of the bipartisan work that led to this framework," Sen. John Cornyn said.
That framework includes toughening background checks for gun buyers under 21 and new spending for mental health and school security.
"We're still working through the details, but I'm encouraged where things stand right now," Cornyn said.
No matter what happens in D.C., Ramsey said the local government needs to act, too.
"When you talk about doing something legislative, you're talking about months, and we don't have months," Ramsey said. "We got weeks to get ready for August."
Commissioner's Court is set to meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning.