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| 1 | AN ACT concerning school students.
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| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | ||||||
| 3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | Section 5. The Department of Transportation Law of the | ||||||
| 5 | Civil Administrative Code is amended by adding Section 2705-317 | ||||||
| 6 | as follows: | ||||||
| 7 | (20 ILCS 2705/2705-317 new)
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| 8 | Sec. 2705-317. Safe Routes to School Construction Program. | ||||||
| 9 | (a) Upon enactment of a federal transportation bill with a | ||||||
| 10 | dedicated fund available to states for safe routes to schools, | ||||||
| 11 | the Department, in cooperation with the State Board of | ||||||
| 12 | Education and the Department of State Police, shall establish | ||||||
| 13 | and administer a Safe Routes to School Construction Program for | ||||||
| 14 | the construction of bicycle and pedestrian safety and | ||||||
| 15 | traffic-calming projects using the federal Safe Routes to | ||||||
| 16 | Schools Program funds. | ||||||
| 17 | (b) The Department shall make construction grants
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| 18 | available to local governmental agencies under the Safe Routes | ||||||
| 19 | to School
Construction Program based on the results of a | ||||||
| 20 | statewide competition
that requires submission of Safe Routes | ||||||
| 21 | to School proposals for funding
and that rates those proposals | ||||||
| 22 | on all of the following factors:
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| 23 | (1) Demonstrated needs of the grant applicant.
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| 24 | (2) Potential of the proposal for reducing child | ||||||
| 25 | injuries and
fatalities.
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| 26 | (3) Potential of the proposal for encouraging | ||||||
| 27 | increased
walking and bicycling among students.
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| 28 | (4) Identification of safety hazards.
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| 29 | (5) Identification of current and potential walking | ||||||
| 30 | and
bicycling routes to school.
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| 31 | (6) Consultation and support for projects by | ||||||
| 32 | school-based
associations, local traffic engineers, local | ||||||
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| 1 | elected officials, law
enforcement agencies, and school | ||||||
| 2 | officials.
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| 3 | (7) Proximity to parks and other recreational | ||||||
| 4 | facilities.
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| 5 | With respect to the use of federal Safe Routes to Schools | ||||||
| 6 | Program funds, prior to
the award of a construction grant or | ||||||
| 7 | the use of those funds for a Safe Routes
to
School
project | ||||||
| 8 | encompassing a highway, the Department shall
consult with and | ||||||
| 9 | obtain approval from the Department of State Police
and the | ||||||
| 10 | highway authority with jurisdiction to ensure that the Safe | ||||||
| 11 | Routes to School proposal is consistent with a
statewide | ||||||
| 12 | pedestrian safety statistical analysis.
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| 13 | (c) On March 30, 2006 and each March 30th thereafter, the | ||||||
| 14 | Department shall submit a report to the General Assembly | ||||||
| 15 | listing
and describing the projects funded under the Safe | ||||||
| 16 | Routes to School
Construction Program.
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| 17 | (d) The Department shall study the effectiveness of
the | ||||||
| 18 | Safe Routes to School Construction Program, with particular | ||||||
| 19 | emphasis on the
Program's effectiveness in reducing traffic | ||||||
| 20 | accidents and its contribution
to improving safety and reducing | ||||||
| 21 | the number of child injuries and
fatalities in the vicinity of | ||||||
| 22 | a Safe Routes to School project. The Department shall
submit a | ||||||
| 23 | report to the General Assembly on or before December 31, 2006
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| 24 | regarding the results of the study.
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| 25 | (e) The Department, the State Board of Education,
and the | ||||||
| 26 | Department of State Police may adopt any rules necessary to
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| 27 | implement this Section.
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| 28 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
| 29 | becoming law. | ||||||