In order to review broader questions raised by the Virginia Tech tragedy, US Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt and Governor Tim Pawlenty met today with state and local leaders, educators, mental health experts and law enforcement officials to discuss what can be learned from Virginia Tech and similar tragedies.

President Bush has asked Secretary Leavitt and other cabinet officials to travel across America and hold meetings to discuss the issues raised by the Virginia Tech tragedy. Once this process has been completed, Secretary Leavitt will work with Education Secretary Margaret Spellings and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to summarize the issues raised and report to the President within 30 days.

“The pain of this tragedy is felt throughout this nation and our hearts and prayers go out to the victims’ families, friends and the entire Virginia Tech community,” HHS Secretary Leavitt said. “While our review will not answer all the questions or solve all the problems, we hope to frame up a series of issues as part of a thoughtful, national dialogue and determine where the federal government can play a role in helping states and communities avoid such tragedies in the future.”

“Our state and nation come together to mourn the senseless loss of life and support the victims, families, and friends who are still reeling from this tragedy,” Governor Pawlenty said. “We welcome the opportunity to gather together to discuss these issues with local, state, and federal partners.”

Secretaries Leavitt and Spellings and Attorney General Gonzales will travel separately to convene meetings in states starting April 26. Over the next few weeks, one of the officials is expected to travel to states including Minnesota, Colorado, Utah, Tennessee, Texas and California. In many of these states, similar tragedies have occurred and the lessons learned from those events will provide valuable input for this review. Administration officials will also meet with members of Virginia Governor Kaine’s commission which is conducting an in-depth investigation of this tragedy from the state’s perspective.