Bill Text: IA SF2130 | 2015-2016 | 86th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act establishing a safe routes to school program and fund.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-02-09 - Introduced, referred to Transportation. S.J. 185. [SF2130 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2015-SF2130-Introduced.html
Senate File 2130 - Introduced SENATE FILE BY HOGG A BILL FOR 1 An Act establishing a safe routes to school program and fund. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: TLSB 5689SS (3) 86 kh/nh PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 306E.1 Definitions. 1 2 As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise 1 3 requires: 1 4 1. "Demonstrated high=need area" means either of the 1 5 following: 1 6 a. An area encompassing one or more school districts in 1 7 which at least fifty percent of the children are eligible to 1 8 receive free or reduced price meals under the federal National 1 9 School Lunch Act and the federal Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 1 10 42 U.S.C. {{1751=1785, as amended. 1 11 b. A census tract in which the median household income is 1 12 less than eighty percent of the statewide average median based 1 13 on the most current census tract level data from the United 1 14 States census bureau's American community survey. 1 15 2. "Department" means the department of transportation. 1 16 3. "Safe routes to school project" or "project" means either 1 17 or both of the following: 1 18 a. An infrastructure project, including a planning or 1 19 engineering project, which is located within two miles of 1 20 a school and supports bicycling and walking to the school, 1 21 such as sidewalk improvements, speed reduction improvements, 1 22 pedestrian and bicycle crossing improvements, on=street bicycle 1 23 facilities, off=street bicycle and pedestrian facilities, 1 24 secure bicycle parking facilities, and traffic diversion or 1 25 calming improvements. 1 26 b. A noninfrastructure project designed to encourage 1 27 children to walk and bicycle to school, including public 1 28 awareness campaigns and outreach to press and community 1 29 leaders; traffic education and enforcement in the vicinity of a 1 30 school; student education sessions on bicycle and pedestrian 1 31 safety, health, and environment; and training for volunteers 1 32 and managers. 1 33 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 306E.2 Safe routes to school program. 1 34 1. Program established. The department shall establish and 1 35 administer a safe routes to school program to increase safety 2 1 and convenience for school children walking or bicycling, to 2 2 encourage school children to walk or bicycle to school, and to 2 3 support safe routes to school projects in Iowa's communities. 2 4 The goals of the program are to improve the public health and 2 5 safety of children and communities by supporting and funding 2 6 safe routes to school projects intended to reduce childhood 2 7 obesity, and to reduce student injuries and fatalities 2 8 resulting from automobile collisions on routes to and from 2 9 school. 2 10 2. Program staffing. The department shall dedicate at 2 11 least one=half of one of the department's authorized full=time 2 12 equivalent positions to maintain a coordinator for the safe 2 13 routes to school program. 2 14 3. Responsibilities. The department shall do all of the 2 15 following: 2 16 a. Provide outreach, education, and technical and 2 17 application assistance relating to the program to local 2 18 communities and schools. 2 19 b. Develop a plan, in cooperation with the departments of 2 20 education and public health, for implementation of the program 2 21 for students and schools throughout the state. Priority shall 2 22 be given to providing technical assistance, resources, and 2 23 funding to projects located in demonstrated high=need areas. 2 24 The department shall provide demonstrated high=need areas 2 25 with preapplication assistance as needed, including but not 2 26 limited to application preparation assistance, planning grants, 2 27 and engineering consultation services. The department shall 2 28 identify and take every reasonable measure to reduce barriers 2 29 to the success of any safe routes to school project located in 2 30 a designated high=need area. 2 31 c. Ensure the timely award and obligation of funds to safe 2 32 routes to school projects eligible for funding under this 2 33 chapter, the federal Fixing America's Surface Transportation 2 34 Act, Pub. L. No. 114=94, and the federal safe routes to 2 35 school program under the federal Safe, Accountable, Flexible, 3 1 Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, Pub. 3 2 L. No. 109=59, {1404. 3 3 d. Develop and periodically revise guidelines for 3 4 administration of the safe routes to school program, including 3 5 but not limited to a clear application process, project 3 6 selection criteria, application and project schedules and 3 7 procedures, project performance measures, student travel data 3 8 collection procedures, and program evaluation measures and 3 9 procedures. 3 10 e. Annually, award not less than ten percent, nor more than 3 11 thirty percent, of the moneys deposited in the safe routes to 3 12 school fund established in section 306E.3 for safe routes to 3 13 school projects in accordance with this chapter. 3 14 f. Deposit in the safe routes to school fund established 3 15 under section 306E.3 not less than eighteen percent of the 3 16 moneys received by the department under the federal surface 3 17 transportation block grant program of the federal Fixing 3 18 America's Surface Transportation Act, Pub. L. No. 114=94, 3 19 {1109. 3 20 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 306E.3 Safe routes to school fund. 3 21 A safe routes to school fund is established as a separate 3 22 fund in the state treasury under the authority of the 3 23 department. The fund shall consist of moneys available to and 3 24 obtained or accepted by the department for purposes of the safe 3 25 routes to school program as established under this chapter. 3 26 The moneys in the fund are appropriated to the department for 3 27 purposes of the safe routes to school program. Moneys in 3 28 the fund shall not be subject to appropriation for any other 3 29 purpose by the general assembly, but shall be used only for the 3 30 purposes of the safe routes to school program. Notwithstanding 3 31 section 8.33, moneys in the fund that remain unencumbered or 3 32 unobligated at the close of the fiscal year shall not revert 3 33 but shall remain available for expenditure for the purposes 3 34 designated until the close of the succeeding fiscal year. 3 35 Notwithstanding section 12C.7, subsection 2, interest or 4 1 earnings on moneys deposited in the fund shall be credited to 4 2 the fund. 4 3 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION. 306E.4 Rule of construction. 4 4 Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to limit, 4 5 restrict, or otherwise discourage the allocation of federal or 4 6 nonstate grants, gifts, or contracts for purposes of the safe 4 7 routes to school program or safe routes to school projects. 4 8 EXPLANATION 4 9 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 4 10 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly. 4 11 This bill establishes the safe routes to school program 4 12 to be administered by the department of transportation, and 4 13 establishes a safe routes to school fund in the state treasury 4 14 under the authority of the department. 4 15 The program is established to increase safety and 4 16 convenience for school children walking or bicycling, to 4 17 encourage school children to walk or bicycle to school, and to 4 18 support safe routes to school projects in Iowa's communities. 4 19 The goals of the program are to improve the public health and 4 20 safety of children and communities by supporting and funding 4 21 projects intended to reduce childhood obesity and to reduce 4 22 student injuries and fatalities resulting from automobile 4 23 collisions on school routes. 4 24 The department is to maintain a coordinator for the 4 25 program, and to provide outreach, education, and technical 4 26 and application assistance to local communities and schools; 4 27 develop a plan, in cooperation with the departments of 4 28 education and public health, for implementation of the program; 4 29 ensure the timely award and obligation of funds to safe routes 4 30 to school projects; develop and periodically revise program 4 31 guidelines; annually award 10 to 30 percent of the moneys in 4 32 the fund for projects; and deposit in the fund at least 18 4 33 percent of the moneys received by the department under the 4 34 federal surface transportation block grant program of the 4 35 federal Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act. 5 1 Priority shall be given to providing technical assistance, 5 2 resources, and funding to projects located in demonstrated 5 3 high=need areas, including application preparation assistance, 5 4 planning grants, and engineering consultation services. The 5 5 department must identify and take every reasonable measure to 5 6 reduce barriers to the success of any project located in a 5 7 designated high=need area. 5 8 The bill defines "demonstrated high=need area" to mean 5 9 either an area encompassing one or more school districts in 5 10 which at least 50 percent of the children are eligible to 5 11 receive free or reduced price meals under federal law, or a 5 12 census tract in which the median household income is less than 5 13 80 percent of the statewide average median. 5 14 A "safe routes to school project" includes either an 5 15 infrastructure project or a noninfrastructure project, or 5 16 both. An infrastructure project may include a planning or 5 17 engineering project, and is a project located within two miles 5 18 of a school that supports bicycling and walking to the school, 5 19 such as sidewalk improvements, speed reduction improvements, 5 20 pedestrian and bicycle crossing improvements, on=street bicycle 5 21 facilities, off=street bicycle and pedestrian facilities, 5 22 secure bicycle parking facilities, and traffic diversion or 5 23 calming improvements. 5 24 A noninfrastructure project is a project designed to 5 25 encourage children to walk and bicycle to school, including 5 26 public awareness campaigns and outreach to press and community 5 27 leaders; traffic education and enforcement in the vicinity of a 5 28 school; student education sessions on bicycle and pedestrian 5 29 safety, health, and environment; and training for volunteers 5 30 and managers. 5 31 The fund consists of moneys available to and obtained or 5 32 accepted by the department of transportation for the program, 5 33 and the moneys in the fund are appropriated to the department 5 34 for the program. 5 35 Nothing in the bill shall be construed to limit, restrict, 6 1 or otherwise discourage the allocation of federal or nonstate 6 2 grants, gifts, or contracts for purposes of the safe routes to 6 3 school program or safe routes to school projects. 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