Three weeks after Nikolas Cruz gunned down 14 students and three faculty members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida lawmakers Wednesday passed a sweeping school-safety bill that sparked bipartisan and racial divisions over gun issues.

The House in a 67-50 vote approved the proposal (SB 7026), after the fathers of two slain students watched hours of floor debate from the House gallery. The Senate had earlier passed the measure, which now goes to Gov. Rick Scott.

Florida lawmakers spent another divisive day arguing about a wide-ranging proposal sparked by last month’s shooting spree at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 14 students and three faculty members dead, with nearly all of Tuesday’s heated debate focused on guns.

After hours of intense debate on a school-safety measure, Senate Democrats were unable Saturday to strip a controversial provision that would allow specially trained teachers to bring guns to schools or to add an assault-weapons ban demanded by survivors of last month’s mass shooting at a Broward County high school.

Accompanied by the father and brother of a student slain during last month’s mass shooting in Parkland, Gov. Rick Scott made a rare appearance before the House and Senate on Thursday to urge lawmakers to pass a sweeping measure aimed at making schools safer and keeping guns out of the hands of mentally ill people.

Pledging “change is coming” and “never again,” Gov. Rick Scott and Republican legislative leaders on Friday released proposals encompassing gun laws, safer schools and mental health, with the goal of preventing future tragedies like last week’s mass shooting at a Broward County high school that left 14 students and three faculty members dead.

Metal detectors at schools, better coordination between agencies and keeping guns out of the hands of people who are mentally ill were among the solutions three groups of experts handed Tuesday to Gov. Rick Scott, as state leaders search for ways to prevent tragedies like last week’s mass shooting that killed 17 people at a Broward County high school.

Better integration of data, coordination of care and services and early screening and assessment were among recommendations a panel of mental health experts offered Tuesday at a workshop organized by Gov. Rick Scott in response to last week’s shooting rampage by a troubled 19-year-old that left 17 people --- including 14 teenagers --- dead.