SB3524 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB096 16706 AJT 31994 b

96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
SB3524

Introduced 2/10/2010, by Sen. Martin A. Sandoval

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

20 ILCS 2705/2705-317

Amends the Department of Transportation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Deletes the word "construction" throughout and renames the "Safe Routes to School Construction Program" as the "Safe Routes to School Program" in a provision concerning State use of federal Safe Routes to Schools Program funds. Provides that federal Safe Routes to School funds shall be competitively awarded to project proposals including planning, design, construction, training, education, and program coordination, with a minimum of 10% and a maximum of 30% allocated to non-infrastructure projects. Provides that the amounts of grants of all federal Safe Routes to Schools Program funds shall be apportioned to projects located in the following areas: (1) within a municipality with a population over 500,000; (2) within municipalities with a population between 40,000 and 500,000; and (3) all other municipalities and unincorporated areas. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning transportation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Department of Transportation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by changing Section 2705-317 as follows:

(20 ILCS 2705/2705-317)

Sec. 2705-317. Safe Routes to School Construction Program.

(a) Upon enactment of a federal transportation bill with a dedicated fund available to states for safe routes to schools, the Department, in cooperation with the State Board of Education and the Department of State Police, shall establish and administer a Safe Routes to School Construction Program for the construction of bicycle and pedestrian safety and traffic-calming projects, including infrastructure and non-infrastructure related projects, using the federal Safe Routes to Schools Program funds. Subject to subsection (b-5) of this Section and any applicable federal requirements, federal Safe Routes to School funds shall be competitively awarded to project proposals including planning, design, construction, training, education, and program coordination, with a minimum of 10% and a maximum of 30% allocated to non-infrastructure projects.

(b) Subject to subsection (b-5) of this Section, the The Department shall make construction grants available to local governmental agencies under the Safe Routes to School Construction Program based on the results of a statewide competition that requires submission of Safe Routes to School proposals for funding and that rates those proposals on all of the following factors:

(1) Demonstrated needs of the grant applicant.

(2) Potential of the proposal for reducing child injuries and fatalities.

(3) Potential of the proposal for encouraging increased walking and bicycling among students.

(4) Identification of safety hazards.

(5) Identification of current and potential walking and bicycling routes to school.

(6) Consultation and support for projects by school-based associations, local traffic engineers, local elected officials, law enforcement agencies, and school officials.

(7) Proximity to parks and other recreational facilities.

With respect to the use of federal Safe Routes to Schools Program funds, prior to the award of a construction grant or the use of those funds for a Safe Routes to School project encompassing a highway, the Department shall consult with and obtain approval from the Department of State Police and the highway authority with jurisdiction to ensure that the Safe Routes to School proposal is consistent with a statewide pedestrian safety statistical analysis.

(b-5) The amounts of grants of all federal Safe Routes to Schools Program funds shall be apportioned to projects located in the following areas: (1) within a municipality with a population over 500,000; (2) within municipalities with a population between 40,000 and 500,000; and (3) all other municipalities and unincorporated areas.

(c) On March 30 of each year, 2006 and each March 30th thereafter, the Department shall submit a report to the General Assembly listing and describing the projects funded under the Safe Routes to School Construction Program.

(d) The Department shall study the effectiveness of the Safe Routes to School Construction Program, with particular emphasis on the Program's effectiveness in reducing traffic accidents and its contribution to improving safety and reducing the rate number of child injuries and fatalities in the vicinity of a Safe Routes to School project. The Department shall submit a report to the General Assembly on or before December 31, 2006 regarding the results of the study.

(e) The Department, the State Board of Education, and the Department of State Police may adopt any rules necessary to implement this Section.

(Source: P.A. 94-493, eff. 8-8-05.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.