Weeks after the Sante Fe school shooting in his district, state Sen. Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood) has been selected to serve as chairman of a Senate select committee to look at measures to make schools safer.

"This has been a difficult and heartbreaking time for our community," Taylor said in a news release. "While the healing process is just beginning, now is the time to unite to explore solutions that will prevent more devastating attacks from happening in the future."

Sante Fe High School is set to have its graduation ceremony at 7:30 p.m. tonight.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced the nine-member committee on Thursday, a day after Gov. Greg Abbott released a statewide agenda for addressing school violence and security.

A specific committee charge has not yet been developed, but it is expected to come soon given the urgency of the issue, said Emily Dove, a spokeswoman for the senator's office.

The governor's plan references several potential items of legislation and also specifically asks for state House and Senate leaders to consider a "red flag" law that would create a legal process for removing firearms from potentially dangerous people.

The committee will hold its first meeting this month and will complete its work by the beginning of August.