Public Act 094-0493
 
HB0744 Enrolled LRB094 07462 NHT 37625 b

    AN ACT concerning school students.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Department of Transportation Law of the
Civil Administrative Code is amended by adding Section 2705-317
as follows:
 
    (20 ILCS 2705/2705-317 new)
    Sec. 2705-317. Safe Routes to School Construction Program.
    (a) Upon enactment of a federal transportation bill with a
dedicated fund available to states for safe routes to schools,
the Department, in cooperation with the State Board of
Education and the Department of State Police, shall establish
and administer a Safe Routes to School Construction Program for
the construction of bicycle and pedestrian safety and
traffic-calming projects using the federal Safe Routes to
Schools Program funds.
    (b) The Department shall make construction grants
available to local governmental agencies under the Safe Routes
to School Construction Program based on the results of a
statewide competition that requires submission of Safe Routes
to School proposals for funding and that rates those proposals
on all of the following factors:
        (1) Demonstrated needs of the grant applicant.
        (2) Potential of the proposal for reducing child
    injuries and fatalities.
        (3) Potential of the proposal for encouraging
    increased walking and bicycling among students.
        (4) Identification of safety hazards.
        (5) Identification of current and potential walking
    and bicycling routes to school.
        (6) Consultation and support for projects by
    school-based associations, local traffic engineers, local
    elected officials, law enforcement agencies, and school
    officials.
        (7) Proximity to parks and other recreational
    facilities.
    With respect to the use of federal Safe Routes to Schools
Program funds, prior to the award of a construction grant or
the use of those funds for a Safe Routes to School project
encompassing a highway, the Department shall consult with and
obtain approval from the Department of State Police and the
highway authority with jurisdiction to ensure that the Safe
Routes to School proposal is consistent with a statewide
pedestrian safety statistical analysis.
    (c) On March 30, 2006 and each March 30th thereafter, the
Department shall submit a report to the General Assembly
listing and describing the projects funded under the Safe
Routes to School Construction Program.
    (d) The Department shall study the effectiveness of the
Safe Routes to School Construction Program, with particular
emphasis on the Program's effectiveness in reducing traffic
accidents and its contribution to improving safety and reducing
the number of child injuries and fatalities in the vicinity of
a Safe Routes to School project. The Department shall submit a
report to the General Assembly on or before December 31, 2006
regarding the results of the study.
    (e) The Department, the State Board of Education, and the
Department of State Police may adopt any rules necessary to
implement this Section.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.