Bill Text: HI HB600 | 2023 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Relating To Safe Routes To School.
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-1)
Status: (Passed) 2023-07-06 - Act 244, 07/06/2023 (Gov. Msg. No. 1347). [HB600 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2023-HB600-Amended.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
600 |
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THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023 |
H.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
S.D. 1 |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that transforming Hawaii's surface transportation systems and infrastructure to prioritize walking, rolling, bicycling, and public transit is at the nexus of the State's commitments to public health, public safety, economic vitality, and environmental sustainability. The most important component of this transformation is ensuring that every child in Hawaii enjoys the infrastructure, social support, confidence, and skills to walk, roll, bike, or bus to school.
The legislature further finds that ensuring safe routes to school for every keiki will not only protect our most vulnerable road users, but also serve as a long-term investment in the future of transportation in the State. However, the legislature recognizes that decades of automobile-centric planning and development have created formidable barriers to this transformation. These barriers include a lack of complete, safe, and comfortable bike and pedestrian networks; burdensome and complicated funding mechanisms for safe routes to school programs and community engagement; a lack of a state safe routes to school plan that creates performance measures, goals, strategies, and accountability; and a lack of coordination of safe routes to school promotion among state and county agencies and community-based organizations.
Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to:
(1) Require the department of transportation's safe routes to school program coordinator to develop a comprehensive statewide safe routes to school plan to advise the State on strategies to ensure that each child in the State is able to safely bike, walk, roll, or bus to that child's respective school; and
(2) Appropriate funds for the department of transportation to hire additional staffing, including one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE).
SECTION 2. Chapter 291C, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part I to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§291C- Safe
routes to school; comprehensive statewide plan. (a) The safe routes to school program coordinator
shall develop a comprehensive statewide safe routes to school plan that shall
include:
(1) Methods to
stabilize the safe routes special fund distribution mechanism;
(2) Recommendations
to streamline safe routes to school program funding to facilitate schools and
communities' efforts to apply for, and receive, moneys;
(3) Performance
measures, goals, strategies, and accountability for improving safety, active
mode share, community investment in supportive programming, and infrastructure
quality;
(4) Identification
of, and recommendations for, funding mechanisms, planning processes, and
programming that are inclusive and equitable; and
(5) Recommendations
to prioritize safe routes to school programming to serve students attending:
(A) Schools
that receive federal funds pursuant to title I of the federal Elementary and
Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act;
(B) Middle
schools; and
(C) High
schools.
(b) The safe routes to school program coordinator
shall:
(1) Make the
comprehensive statewide safe routes to school plan developed pursuant to
subsection (a) available to the public no later than November 1, 2026; and
(2) Submit a copy
of the comprehensive statewide safe routes to school plan developed pursuant to
this section, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later
than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2027.
(c)
The safe routes to school program coordinator may consult with relevant
stakeholders to effectuate the purposes of this section."
SECTION 3. Section 291C-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
"(b) There is created, within the department of
transportation, the position of safe routes to school program coordinator. The safe routes to school program coordinator
shall provide a central point of contact for the [federal] safe
routes to school program."
SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2023-2024 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2024-2025 for the department of transportation to hire additional staffing, including one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) safe routes to school program coordinator position.
The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of transportation for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 5. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 3000.
Report Title:
DOT; Safe Routes to School; Safe Routes to School Program Coordinator; Appropriation
Description:
Requires the Department of Transportation's Safe Routes to School Program Coordinator to develop a comprehensive statewide Safe Routes to School Plan. Clarifies the Safe Routes to School Program Coordinator as the central point of contact for all Safe Routes to School programs. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD1)
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
