Bill Text: NJ S4363 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes "Hazardous School Route Grant Program" in DOE; appropriates $15 million.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-05-28 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S4363 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-S4363-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator LINDA R. GREENSTEIN
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes "Hazardous School Route Grant Program" in DOE; appropriates $15 million.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing a hazardous school route grant program, supplementing chapter 39 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this section:
"Department" means the New Jersey Department of Education.
"Grant program" means the "Hazardous School Route Grant Program" established pursuant to this section.
"Hazardous route" means a route within a school district that, as of the date on which a school district applies for a grant under the grant program, is not served by courtesy busing services, requires students to walk to and from school along the route, and has been designated by the school district as a hazardous route.
b. In consultation with the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the New Jersey Department of Education shall establish and administer the "Hazardous School Route Grant Program" for the purpose of administering grants to school districts for projects that mitigate conditions along hazardous routes. The purpose of the grant program is to improve pedestrian safety along hazardous routes across the State.
c. To qualify for the grant program, a school district shall demonstrate to the department that:
(1) the district is not providing courtesy busing services in the current school year, has eliminated such services at some point in the five school years preceding the current school year, and is continuing to not provide courtesy busing services as part of the district's adopted school budget for the school year next following the current school year if such school budget is adopted as of the date of application for the grant;
(2) the district has previously adopted a hazardous route policy pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1999, c.310 (C.18A:39-1.5);
(3) there is no other transportation infrastructure funding allocated to a project for which the district is seeking a grant through the grant program, including, but not limited to, State aid allocated to counties and municipalities pursuant to section 25 of P.L.1984, c.73 (C.27:1B-25). Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to prevent the governing body of a municipality from committing to municipal cost-sharing or an in-kind contribution for a project for which a district is seeking a grant through the grant program, provided that the municipality does not use transportation infrastructure funding, as outlined in this paragraph, to invest in such a project; and
(4) the district's school budget, for the most recent school year for which a school budget has been adopted, has a general fund tax levy and equalization aid set at less than its adequacy budget calculated pursuant to section 9 of P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-51).
d. (1) The department may administer grants to one or more school districts in any amount determined by the department. However, each district participating in the grant program shall not receive more than $1,000,000 across all projects submitted by the district to the department under the grant program.
(2) The department shall determine permitted uses for funding administered to a district for a project under the grant program, including, but not limited to, capital improvements and the temporary provision of transportation for students commuting to school along the hazardous route until the completion of a project being funded through the grant program.
e. A school district seeking a grant under the grant program shall, in consultation with the governing body of the municipality in which a project is located, apply to the department in a form and manner prescribed by the department. In addition to any other information that the department may deem appropriate, the application shall require the school district and governing body of the appropriate municipality to submit information demonstrating:
(1) that the school district meets the eligibility requirements set forth in subsection c. of this section;
(2) that the governing body of the appropriate municipality shall be responsible for any right-of-way, permitting, and long-term maintenance obligations for the project; and
(3) whether the governing body of the appropriate municipality is willing to commit to municipal cost-sharing or an in-kind contribution for the project.
Applications submitted pursuant to this subsection may include more than one project, provided that each project meets one or more permitted uses determined by the department pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection d. of this section.
f. Upon receipt of a completed application pursuant to subsection e. of this section, the department shall review the application based on, at a minimum, the severity of the hazardous conditions along the hazardous route, the number of students impacted by the hazardous route, and the number of at-risk pupils, as that term is defined in section 3 of P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-45), impacted by the lack of courtesy busing services along the hazardous route. The department shall prioritize any application that includes a commitment from the governing body of the appropriate municipality to municipal cost-sharing or an in-kind contribution, as indicated in the application pursuant to paragraph (3) of subsection e. of this section. However, such commitment shall not be a requirement for the approval of any application submitted pursuant to subsection e. of this section under the grant program. After conducting its review, the department may approve applications for the grant program on a rolling basis, subject to the availability of funds.
g. Each school district that receives a grant under the grant program shall, in consultation with the governing body of the municipality in which the project is located, submit to the department:
(1) a project plan prior to undertaking each project;
(2) an annual progress report for each project until the completion of that project; and
(3) a final report upon the district's completion of all projects funded through the grant program, which report shall document expenditures, measurable safety improvements, and the number of students impacted.
h. No later than 60 days following the end of any school year in which grants are administered to school districts under the grant program, the department shall prepare and submit a report, in consultation with the New Jersey Department of Transportation, on the "Hazardous School Route Grant Program" to the Governor, and pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature. At a minimum, the report shall include information on safety outcomes of each project that received a grant through the grant program, based on information submitted to the department pursuant to subsection g. of this section, and whether the department recommends continuing or expanding the grant program.
i. The department, in consultation with the New Jersey Department of Transportation, shall adopt rules and regulations, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this section. At a minimum, the regulations shall establish the requirements for application submissions, the criteria for application selections, and the permitted use of a grant.
2. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Education the sum of $15,000,000 for the purpose of administering grants through the "Hazardous School Route Grant Program" established by this act.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the New Jersey Department of Education (department), in consultation with the New Jersey Department of Transportation, to establish and administer the "Hazardous School Route Grant Program" (grant program) to provide funding to school districts for projects that mitigate conditions along hazardous routes. Under the grant program, the department is to determine the amount of each grant and permitted uses for grants administered through the grant program. However, each school district participating in the grant program may not receive more than $1 million across all projects submitted by the district to the department under the grant program. Moreover, the bill appropriates $15 million from the General Fund to the department for the purpose of administering grants through the grant program.
To qualify for the grant program, a school district is required to meet certain eligibility criteria outlined in the bill, including a requirement that the district has not provided nonmandated or "courtesy" busing within a certain time frame outlined in the bill. School districts, in consultation with the governing body of the municipality in which a project is located, are also required to submit certain information to the department when applying for a grant, as outlined in the bill. The bill permits the department to approve the grant applications on a rolling basis, subject to the availability of funds, after considering certain criteria outlined in the bill during its review of an application. While the department is required to prioritize any application that includes a municipal commitment to cost-sharing or an in-kind contribution, the bill clarifies that such investment is not required for the approval of an application.
Finally, the bill requires each school district that receives funding under the grant program to, in consultation with the governing body of the municipality in which a project is located, submit certain information outlined in the bill concerning project planning, performance, and finances to the department. In addition, the department, in consultation with the New Jersey Department of Transportation, is required to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature that includes the safety outcomes of each project funded through the grant program and whether the department recommends continuing or expanding the grant program.
