S.F. 2130 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 306E.1 Definitions. 1 As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise 2 requires: 3 1. “Demonstrated high-need area” means either of the 4 following: 5 a. An area encompassing one or more school districts in 6 which at least fifty percent of the children are eligible to 7 receive free or reduced price meals under the federal National 8 School Lunch Act and the federal Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 9 42 U.S.C. §§1751-1785, as amended. 10 b. A census tract in which the median household income is 11 less than eighty percent of the statewide average median based 12 on the most current census tract level data from the United 13 States census bureau’s American community survey. 14 2. “Department” means the department of transportation. 15 3. “Safe routes to school project” or “project” means either 16 or both of the following: 17 a. An infrastructure project, including a planning or 18 engineering project, which is located within two miles of 19 a school and supports bicycling and walking to the school, 20 such as sidewalk improvements, speed reduction improvements, 21 pedestrian and bicycle crossing improvements, on-street bicycle 22 facilities, off-street bicycle and pedestrian facilities, 23 secure bicycle parking facilities, and traffic diversion or 24 calming improvements. 25 b. A noninfrastructure project designed to encourage 26 children to walk and bicycle to school, including public 27 awareness campaigns and outreach to press and community 28 leaders; traffic education and enforcement in the vicinity of a 29 school; student education sessions on bicycle and pedestrian 30 safety, health, and environment; and training for volunteers 31 and managers. 32 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION . 306E.2 Safe routes to school program. 33 1. Program established. The department shall establish and 34 administer a safe routes to school program to increase safety 35 -1- LSB 5689SS (3) 86 kh/nh 1/ 6

S.F. 2130 and convenience for school children walking or bicycling, to 1 encourage school children to walk or bicycle to school, and to 2 support safe routes to school projects in Iowa’s communities. 3 The goals of the program are to improve the public health and 4 safety of children and communities by supporting and funding 5 safe routes to school projects intended to reduce childhood 6 obesity, and to reduce student injuries and fatalities 7 resulting from automobile collisions on routes to and from 8 school. 9 2. Program staffing. The department shall dedicate at 10 least one-half of one of the department’s authorized full-time 11 equivalent positions to maintain a coordinator for the safe 12 routes to school program. 13 3. Responsibilities. The department shall do all of the 14 following: 15 a. Provide outreach, education, and technical and 16 application assistance relating to the program to local 17 communities and schools. 18 b. Develop a plan, in cooperation with the departments of 19 education and public health, for implementation of the program 20 for students and schools throughout the state. Priority shall 21 be given to providing technical assistance, resources, and 22 funding to projects located in demonstrated high-need areas. 23 The department shall provide demonstrated high-need areas 24 with preapplication assistance as needed, including but not 25 limited to application preparation assistance, planning grants, 26 and engineering consultation services. The department shall 27 identify and take every reasonable measure to reduce barriers 28 to the success of any safe routes to school project located in 29 a designated high-need area. 30 c. Ensure the timely award and obligation of funds to safe 31 routes to school projects eligible for funding under this 32 chapter, the federal Fixing America’s Surface Transportation 33 Act, Pub. L. No. 114-94, and the federal safe routes to 34 school program under the federal Safe, Accountable, Flexible, 35 -2- LSB 5689SS (3) 86 kh/nh 2/ 6

S.F. 2130 Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, Pub. 1 L. No. 109-59, §1404. 2 d. Develop and periodically revise guidelines for 3 administration of the safe routes to school program, including 4 but not limited to a clear application process, project 5 selection criteria, application and project schedules and 6 procedures, project performance measures, student travel data 7 collection procedures, and program evaluation measures and 8 procedures. 9 e. Annually, award not less than ten percent, nor more than 10 thirty percent, of the moneys deposited in the safe routes to 11 school fund established in section 306E.3 for safe routes to 12 school projects in accordance with this chapter. 13 f. Deposit in the safe routes to school fund established 14 under section 306E.3 not less than eighteen percent of the 15 moneys received by the department under the federal surface 16 transportation block grant program of the federal Fixing 17 America’s Surface Transportation Act, Pub. L. No. 114-94, 18 §1109. 19 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION . 306E.3 Safe routes to school fund. 20 A safe routes to school fund is established as a separate 21 fund in the state treasury under the authority of the 22 department. The fund shall consist of moneys available to and 23 obtained or accepted by the department for purposes of the safe 24 routes to school program as established under this chapter. 25 The moneys in the fund are appropriated to the department for 26 purposes of the safe routes to school program. Moneys in 27 the fund shall not be subject to appropriation for any other 28 purpose by the general assembly, but shall be used only for the 29 purposes of the safe routes to school program. Notwithstanding 30 section 8.33, moneys in the fund that remain unencumbered or 31 unobligated at the close of the fiscal year shall not revert 32 but shall remain available for expenditure for the purposes 33 designated until the close of the succeeding fiscal year. 34 Notwithstanding section 12C.7, subsection 2, interest or 35 -3- LSB 5689SS (3) 86 kh/nh 3/ 6

S.F. 2130 earnings on moneys deposited in the fund shall be credited to 1 the fund. 2 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION . 306E.4 Rule of construction. 3 Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to limit, 4 restrict, or otherwise discourage the allocation of federal or 5 nonstate grants, gifts, or contracts for purposes of the safe 6 routes to school program or safe routes to school projects. 7 EXPLANATION 8 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 9 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 10 This bill establishes the safe routes to school program 11 to be administered by the department of transportation, and 12 establishes a safe routes to school fund in the state treasury 13 under the authority of the department. 14 The program is established to increase safety and 15 convenience for school children walking or bicycling, to 16 encourage school children to walk or bicycle to school, and to 17 support safe routes to school projects in Iowa’s communities. 18 The goals of the program are to improve the public health and 19 safety of children and communities by supporting and funding 20 projects intended to reduce childhood obesity and to reduce 21 student injuries and fatalities resulting from automobile 22 collisions on school routes. 23 The department is to maintain a coordinator for the 24 program, and to provide outreach, education, and technical 25 and application assistance to local communities and schools; 26 develop a plan, in cooperation with the departments of 27 education and public health, for implementation of the program; 28 ensure the timely award and obligation of funds to safe routes 29 to school projects; develop and periodically revise program 30 guidelines; annually award 10 to 30 percent of the moneys in 31 the fund for projects; and deposit in the fund at least 18 32 percent of the moneys received by the department under the 33 federal surface transportation block grant program of the 34 federal Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act. 35 -4- LSB 5689SS (3) 86 kh/nh 4/ 6

S.F. 2130 Priority shall be given to providing technical assistance, 1 resources, and funding to projects located in demonstrated 2 high-need areas, including application preparation assistance, 3 planning grants, and engineering consultation services. The 4 department must identify and take every reasonable measure to 5 reduce barriers to the success of any project located in a 6 designated high-need area. 7 The bill defines “demonstrated high-need area” to mean 8 either an area encompassing one or more school districts in 9 which at least 50 percent of the children are eligible to 10 receive free or reduced price meals under federal law, or a 11 census tract in which the median household income is less than 12 80 percent of the statewide average median. 13 A “safe routes to school project” includes either an 14 infrastructure project or a noninfrastructure project, or 15 both. An infrastructure project may include a planning or 16 engineering project, and is a project located within two miles 17 of a school that supports bicycling and walking to the school, 18 such as sidewalk improvements, speed reduction improvements, 19 pedestrian and bicycle crossing improvements, on-street bicycle 20 facilities, off-street bicycle and pedestrian facilities, 21 secure bicycle parking facilities, and traffic diversion or 22 calming improvements. 23 A noninfrastructure project is a project designed to 24 encourage children to walk and bicycle to school, including 25 public awareness campaigns and outreach to press and community 26 leaders; traffic education and enforcement in the vicinity of a 27 school; student education sessions on bicycle and pedestrian 28 safety, health, and environment; and training for volunteers 29 and managers. 30 The fund consists of moneys available to and obtained or 31 accepted by the department of transportation for the program, 32 and the moneys in the fund are appropriated to the department 33 for the program. 34 Nothing in the bill shall be construed to limit, restrict, 35 -5- LSB 5689SS (3) 86 kh/nh 5/ 6