BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1915|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1915
Author: Alejo (D)
Amended: 6/26/12 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMM. : 9-0, 6/19/12
AYES: DeSaulnier, Gaines, Harman, Kehoe, Lowenthal,
Pavley, Rubio, Simitian, Wyland
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 7-0, 8/16/12
AYES: Kehoe, Walters, Alquist, Dutton, Lieu, Price,
Steinberg
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 75-0, 5/14/12 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Safe routes to school
SOURCE : California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation
PolicyLink
DIGEST : This bill permits The Department of
Transportation (Caltrans) to use up to ten percent of state
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program funds for
infrastructure improvements creating safe routes to
schoolbus stops not in the vicinity of schools.
ANALYSIS : In 1999, AB 1475 (Soto), Chapter 663,
established the state SRTS program, the first in the
nation, for the construction of bicycle and pedestrian
safety and traffic calming projects that improve safety and
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promote walking and bicycling to school. The SRTS concept
aims to increase the number of children who walk or bicycle
to school by funding projects that remove the barriers that
currently prevent them from doing so. In 2005, the federal
transportation funding bill, the Safe, Accountable,
Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy
for Users, established a federal SRTS program. Caltrans
administers both the state and federal programs, but
administers them as distinct programs because they are
subject to different requirements under state and federal
laws. This bill makes changes only to the state program.
In administering the state SRTS program, Caltrans
determines how much will be made available to each of
Caltrans' 12 districts in proportion to the number of
students enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade in
each district, with no district receiving less than
$500,000 per funding cycle. Through a competitive process,
Caltrans awards grants to local governmental agencies based
on a number of factors, such as demonstrated need, use of a
specified public participation process, and the recipient
being a low-income school. Cities and counties must work
collaboratively with other local partners, including school
officials and community stakeholders, to develop project
proposals. Caltrans district office staff ranks each
proposal it receives, based on the criteria outlined in
statute, and forwards the top-ranked proposals to Caltrans
headquarters for final approval.
This bill permits Caltrans to use up to 10% of the state
SRTS funds to assist eligible recipients in making
infrastructure improvements, other than schoolbus shelters,
that create safe routes to schoolbus stops located outside
the vicinity of schools.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Cost pressures of up to $2.4 million annually (State
Highway Account) by dedicating up to 10 percent of SRTS
funds for a purpose that is currently unauthorized.
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Minor costs to Caltrans to update program guidelines
(State Highway Account)
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/16/12)
California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation (co-source)
PolicyLink (co-source)
Advancement Project
AFSCME
California Pan-Ethnic Network
California School Boards Association
City of King City
Green Field Union School District
King City Police Department
Latino Coalition for a Healthy California
Monterey County Board of Supervisors
San Benito County Office of Education
Santa Cruz County Office of Education
OPPOSITION : (Verified 8/16/12)
WALKSacramento
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author, this bill
is intended to serve the safety needs of low-income rural
school children who depend on buses to transport them to
school and often walk along busy roads with insufficient or
low-quality walking infrastructure. Supporters argue that
current law does not specify that the SRTS program can
support infrastructure improvements to increase pedestrian
safety for children walking to school bus stops. As a
result, rural communities that must use buses to get their
children to school cannot enjoy the benefits of the SRTS
program.
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION : WALKSacramento is opposed to
this bill, claiming that it is in complete opposition to
the policy goals of the SRTS program. The organization
contends that, because the bill allows funding to be used
in vicinities not near a school, it does not encourage
students to walk or bike, does not improve safety for
children, nor encourage more physical activity among
children. Further, WALKSacramento points out that allowing
funds to be spent away from schools restricts the very
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limited funding that can provide safer and healthier travel
choices for children who live near schools.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 75-0, 5/14/12
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford,
Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos,
Carter, Cedillo, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Davis, Donnelly,
Eng, Feuer, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, Beth Gaines,
Galgiani, Garrick, Gatto, Gordon, Gorell, Grove, Hagman,
Halderman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Roger Hern�ndez, Hill,
Huber, Hueso, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lara,
Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mansoor, Mendoza, Miller,
Mitchell, Monning, Morrell, Nestande, Nielsen, Norby,
Olsen, Pan, V. Manuel P�rez, Portantino, Silva, Skinner,
Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Wagner, Wieckowski,
Williams, Yamada, John A. P�rez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Atkins, Dickinson, Fletcher, Perea,
Valadao
JJA:n 8/20/12 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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