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    AN ACT concerning transportation.

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


 
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    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the 
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Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School 
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Transparency Act.
 
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    Section 5. Intent. This Act is intended to increase the 
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selection transparency, objectiveness, and predictability of 
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the Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School 
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programs.
 
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    Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
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    "Committees" means the grants review committees created in 
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this Act.
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    "Department" means the Illinois Department of 
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Transportation.
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    "Grant programs" means the Transportation Enhancements 
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Program and the Safe Routes to School Program as defined in the 
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Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act: 
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A Legacy for Users (Public Law 109-59) or successor programs 
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for transportation enhancements or safe routes to schools 
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activities administered by the United States Department of 
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Transportation.
 


 






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    "Secretary" means the Illinois Secretary of 
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Transportation.
 
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    Section 15. Grants review committees. For each of the grant 
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programs, the Secretary shall appoint a committee to evaluate, 
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score, and rank all applications for funding submitted.  The 
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committees shall each include 2 representatives from the 
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Department, 2 representatives from metropolitan planning 
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organizations, counties, or municipalities, 4 representatives 
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from other relevant State agencies, and 3 representatives from 
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relevant public interest organizations.  Committee members 
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shall be appointed for a 4-year term and shall serve until 
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their successor is appointed. The Secretary shall make 
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appointments to the committees no later than 90 days following 
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the effective date of this Act.  The Secretary shall fill 
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vacancies on the committees within 90 days.
 
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    Section 20. Grants review process. 
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    (a) Each committee shall establish criteria for 
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evaluating, scoring, and ranking all funding applications for 
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the grant programs. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
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these criteria are public records under the Freedom of 
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Information Act. The criteria shall also be made available on 
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the Department's website upon their acceptance by the 
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committee.
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    (b) The committees shall evaluate, score, and rank all 
 


 






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funding applications for the grant programs using the 
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established criteria. All available funding from these 
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programs are subject to this application, evaluation, scoring, 
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and ranking process. Notwithstanding any other provision of 
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law, the scores and rankings of applications are public records 
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under the Freedom of Information Act. The scores and rankings 
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shall also be made available on the Department's website 
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promptly upon their acceptance by the committee.

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    (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
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meetings of the committees are meetings of a public body open 
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to the public under the Open Meetings Act. Any meetings of the 
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committees including evaluating, scoring, and ranking of 
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applications for funding shall include a public comment period. 
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The committees shall establish reasonable criteria for the 
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submission of public comments.
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    (d) The application evaluation, scoring, and ranking 
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decisions of the committees are binding upon the Department. 
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Applications shall be funded in order of ranking by the 
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committees. The Department shall promptly announce these 
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decisions.
 
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    Section 25. Grant programs frequencies and deadlines. 
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    (a) No later than 120 days after the effective date of this 
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Act, the Department, in consultation with the committees, shall 
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select either an annual or biennial application cycle frequency 
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for each grant program. Subject to the availability of federal 
 


 






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funds, the grant programs shall follow these frequencies.

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    (b) The Department and committees shall establish 
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reasonable deadlines, occurring at the same time of each 
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appropriate year, for the submission of any funding 
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applications for the grant programs. The committees shall 
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finalize funding decisions no later than 150 days after the 
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deadlines for the submission of any funding applications for 
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the grant programs.
 

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