BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2147
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 2147 (V. Manuel Perez)
As Amended August 20, 2010
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |58-16|(May 6, 2010) |SENATE: |25-10|(August 25, |
| | | | | |2010) |
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Original Committee Reference: TRANS.
SUMMARY : Modifies the Safe Routes to School (SR2S) program to
authorize schools to apply for SR2S grants and to require the
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to establish
an advisory body.
The Senate amendments :
1)Allow school districts also to be eligible to apply for funds
under the state SR2S program; allow Caltrans to require that a
school district have a city or county serve as the responsible
agency for a project.
2)Strike proposed criteria to be used in evaluating SR2S grant
applications that would provide increased consideration of
applications from socio-economically disadvantaged schools and
communities.
3)Require Caltrans to form a multidisciplinary SR2S committee,
with a prescribed membership, to advise the department.
EXISTING LAW :
1)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.)
2)Requires the Caltrans to administer an SR2S construction
program for construction of bicycle and pedestrian safety and
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traffic calming projects.
3)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.
4)Encourages Caltrans to coordinate with law enforcement
agencies' community policy efforts in establishing and
maintaining the SR2S program.
5)Exempts SR2S grants from traditional transportation
distribution formulae, commonly referred to as the north-south
split and county shares.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill was similar to the version
passed the Senate except that it would have added additional
criteria with which to evaluate grant applications.
FISCAL EFFECT : 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
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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 $24.25 million in
the latest annual cycle (April 2010) 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 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
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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 was scheduled to be
completed by July 1, 2010, but it has not yet been released.
The review 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.
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
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indefinitely (AB 57 (Soto), Chapter 673, Statutes of 2007).
Analysis Prepared by : Janet Dawson / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093
FN: 0006671