HB6954 Engrossed LRB093 17838 NHT 43519 b

1     AN ACT concerning school students.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
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)
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
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:
23         (1) Demonstrated needs of the grant applicant.
24         (2) Potential of the proposal for reducing child
25 injuries and fatalities.
26         (3) Potential of the proposal for encouraging
27 increased walking and bicycling among students.
28         (4) Identification of safety hazards.
29         (5) Identification of current and potential walking
30 and bicycling routes to school.
31         (6) Consultation and support for projects by
32 school-based associations, local traffic engineers, local

 

 

HB6954 Engrossed - 2 - LRB093 17838 NHT 43519 b

1 elected officials, law enforcement agencies, and school
2 officials.
3     With respect to the use of federal Safe Routes to Schools
4 Program funds, prior to the award of a construction grant or
5 the use of those funds for a Safe Routes to School project
6 encompassing a highway, the Department shall consult with and
7 obtain approval from the Department of State Police and the
8 highway authority with jurisdiction to ensure that the Safe
9 Routes to School proposal is consistent with a statewide
10 pedestrian safety statistical analysis.
11     (c) On March 30, 2005 and each March 30th thereafter, the
12 Department shall submit a report to the General Assembly
13 listing and describing the projects funded under the Safe
14 Routes to School Construction Program.
15     (d) The Department shall study the effectiveness of the
16 Safe Routes to School Construction Program, with particular
17 emphasis on the Program's effectiveness in reducing traffic
18 accidents and its contribution to improving safety and reducing
19 the number of child injuries and fatalities in the vicinity of
20 a Safe Routes to School project. The Department shall submit a
21 report to the General Assembly on or before December 31, 2005
22 regarding the results of the study.
23     (e) The Department, the State Board of Education, and the
24 Department of State Police may adopt any rules necessary to
25 implement this Section.
 
26     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
27 becoming law.