BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2147
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 2147 (V. Manuel Perez)
As Amended April 19, 2010
Majority vote
TRANSPORTATION 11-1 APPROPRIATIONS 12-2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Ayes:|Bonnie Lowenthal, |Ayes:|Fuentes, Conway, Ammiano, |
| |Jeffries, | |Coto, Davis, Bonnie |
| |Bill Berryhill, | |Lowenthal, Hall, Nielsen, |
| |Blumenfield, Buchanan, | |Skinner, Solorio, |
| |Eng, Furutani, Galgiani, | |Torlakson, Hill |
| |Hayashi, Miller, Solorio | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Niello |Nays:|Harkey, Miller |
| | | | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY : Modifies the Safe Routes to School (SR2S) program to result
in increased participation from socio-economically disadvantaged
schools and communities. Specifically, this bill :
1)Makes legislative findings and declarations regarding the SR2S
program and its benefits and about the efforts of the
Administration to adapt the program so that there is increased
participation in it from socio-economically disadvantaged schools
and communities.
2)Expands the list of factors to be used to rate SR2 grant proposals
to include the use of a public participation process, including but
not limited to, a public meeting that satisfies the following:
a) Involves the public, schools, parents, teachers, local
agencies, the business community, key professionals, and others;
b) Identifies community priorities and gathers community input
to guide the development of projects;
c) Ensures that community priorities are reflected in proposals;
and,
d) Secures support for the project by relevant community
stakeholders.
AB 2147
Page 2
3)Further expands the list of proposal rating factors to include
benefits to a "disadvantaged community," as defined to mean a
community with an annual median household income that is less than
80% of the statewide annual median household income.
EXISTING LAW :
4)Provides two separate and distinct Safe Routes to School
programs-one federally funded and one state funded. The federal
program provides grants for infrastructure and non-infrastructure
projects (such as education and enforcement). The state program
provides grants only for infrastructure projects. (This bill
modifies the evaluation criteria for state SR2S grants; hence, any
further reference to the "SR2S" program will be to the state
program.)
5)Requires the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to administer
an SR2S construction program for construction of bicycle and
pedestrian safety and traffic calming projects.
6)Requires Caltrans to award grants to local governmental agencies on
a statewide, competitive basis using the following factors:
a) Demonstrated needs of the applicant;
b) Potential of the proposal for reducing child injuries and
fatalities;
c) Potential of the proposal for encouraging increased walking
and bicycling among students;
d) Identification of safety hazards;
e) Identification of current and potential walking and bicycling
routes to school; and,
f) Consultation and support for projects by school-based
associations, local traffic engineers, local elected officials,
law enforcement agencies, school officials, and other relevant
community stakeholders.
7)Encourages Caltrans to coordinate with law enforcement agencies'
community policy efforts in establishing and maintaining the SR2S
AB 2147
Page 3
program.
8)Exempts SR2S grants from traditional transportation distribution
formulae, commonly referred to as the north-south split and county
shares.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to Assembly Appropriations, minor
absorbable costs for Caltrans to incorporate the additional factors
into its ranking methodology for SR2S applications.
COMMENTS : The goal of both Safe Routes to School programs
administered by Caltrans is to increase the number of children that
walk or bicycle to school by funding projects that remove barriers
that prevent or discourage them from doing so. In 1999, California
was the first state in the country to legislate its own SR2S program
with dedicated funding (from the State Highway Account) on the
premise that encouraging more children to walk and bicycle to school
would result in healthier children, improved air quality, reduced
fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and less traffic
congestion near schools. The state SR2S program was funded at $48.5
million in the latest annual cycle (August 2009) and funds are
distributed on a statewide, competitive basis. Typical projects in
these programs include installing curbs, sidewalks, traffic signals,
crosswalks, warning signs, and bicycle paths.
According to guidelines that govern Caltrans administration of the
SR2S:
1)An applicant for SR2S grants must be an incorporated city or a
county within California.
2)SR2S funds are apportioned to each of 12 Caltrans districts on a
student enrollment basis, except that 3 rural, low-student
enrollment districts receive $1 million each for each two-year
cycle. Those districts are: Caltrans District 1 (Eureka),
Caltrans District 2 (Redding), and Caltrans District 9 (Bishop).
3)The maximum amount of SR2S funds allocated to any single project is
$900,000 and the maximum reimbursement rate allowed for each
project is 90%, with the remaining 10% to be matched in local
dollars. If the total project cost exceeds $1 million, the
applicant must fund the balance of the project with other funds.
4)Applicants are advised, but not prohibited, from submitting more
AB 2147
Page 4
than three project applications.
The SR2S program has been hugely successful, with applications
exceeding available funds by a ratio of about 6:1. Further, many
perceive the program's outcomes as being equally successful in
encouraging children to be more physically active, and SR2S is
considered a critical program in the fight against childhood obesity.
With this in mind, Caltrans recently announced efforts underway,
along with the California Department of Public Health, the California
Department of Education, the Safe Routes to School National
Partnership, PolicyLink, and the California Rural Legal Assistance
Foundation, to review and analyze SR2S funding practices to assess
participation of low-socioeconomic status schools and communities. A
primary reason for this emphasis is that the epidemic of childhood
obesity is especially prevalent in low-income communities where 30%
of children and youth are overweight. The review of funding
practices is scheduled to be completed by July 1, 2010, and is
expected to:
1)Determine the socioeconomic status of current and past SR2S
participants and determine the appropriate level of participation
among these schools and communities.
2)Identify funding practices in other programs that have been
effective in securing high participation levels from
low-socioeconomic status schools. Some practices to be reviewed
include:
a) Preferential or "priority points" for projects in
low-socioeconomic status schools;
b) Planning grants for communities to help them prepare
successful applications; and,
c) Guidelines, trainining, or other capacity-building stratagies
to help disadvantaged communities compete more effectively for
funding.
In addition to this review of funding practices, Caltrans and its
partners have created the Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance
Resources Center to help communities apply for and implement SR2S
grants.
AB 2147
Page 5
According to the author, AB 2147 is intended to ensure disadvantaged
communities receive equitable access to SR2S funds by requiring
Caltrans to give priority to proposals that benefit these communities
and provide community residents with a stronger role in development
of SR2S project proposals.
Previous legislation: AB 1475 (Soto), Chapter 663, Statutes of 1999
established the first Safe Route to School Program, on a limited-term
basis. The program was extended twice: SB 10 (Soto), Chapter 600,
Statutes of 200, and SB 1087 (Soto), Chapter 392, Statutes of 2004.
These provisions were finally amended to strike the sunset date and
continue the program indefinitely (AB 57 (Soto), Chapter 673,
Statutes of 2007).
Analysis Prepared by : Janet Dawson / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093
FN: 0004070