093_SB1186
LRB093 10471 NHT 10725 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 School Code is amended by adding Section
5 2-3.131 as follows:
6 (105 ILCS 5/2-3.131 new)
7 Sec. 2-3.131. Safe Routes to School Construction
8 Program.
9 (a) The State Board of Education, in cooperation with
10 the Department of Transportation and the Department of State
11 Police, shall establish and administer a Safe Routes to
12 School Construction Program for the construction of bicycle
13 and pedestrian safety and traffic-calming projects using
14 federal transportation funds.
15 (b) The State Board of Education shall make construction
16 grants available to local governmental agencies under the
17 Safe Routes to School Construction Program based on the
18 results of a statewide competition that requires submission
19 of Safe Routes to School proposals for funding and that rates
20 those proposals on all of the following factors:
21 (1) Demonstrated needs of the grant applicant.
22 (2) Potential of the proposal for reducing child
23 injuries and fatalities.
24 (3) Potential of the proposal for encouraging
25 increased walking and bicycling among students.
26 (4) Identification of safety hazards.
27 (5) Identification of current and potential walking
28 and bicycling routes to school.
29 (6) Consultation and support for projects by
30 school-based associations, local traffic engineers, local
31 elected officials, law enforcement agencies, and school
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1 officials.
2 With respect to the use of federal transportation funds,
3 prior to the award of a construction grant or the use of
4 those funds for a Safe Routes to School project encompassing
5 a freeway, State highway, or county road, the State Board of
6 Education shall consult with and obtain approval from the
7 Department of State Police ensuring that the Safe Routes to
8 School proposal is consistent with a statewide pedestrian
9 safety statistical analysis.
10 (c) On March 30, 2004 and each March 30th thereafter,
11 the State Board of Education shall submit a report to the
12 General Assembly listing and describing the projects funded
13 under the Safe Routes to School Construction Program.
14 (d) The State Board of Education shall study the
15 effectiveness of the Safe Routes to School Construction
16 Program, with particular emphasis on the Program's
17 effectiveness in reducing traffic accidents and its
18 contribution to improving safety and reducing the number of
19 child injuries and fatalities in the vicinity of a Safe
20 Routes to School project. The State Board of Education shall
21 submit a report to the General Assembly on or before December
22 31, 2004 regarding the results of the study.
23 (e) The State Board of Education, Department of
24 Transportation, and Department of State Police may adopt any
25 rules necessary to implement this Section.
26 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
27 becoming law.