STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1874

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 600

H.D. 1

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 600, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is ensure each child in the State can safely traverse state streets.

Specifically, this measure:

(1) Requires the Department of Transportation's Safe Routes to School Program Coordinator to develop a comprehensive statewide safe routes to school plan;

(2) Clarifies that the Safe Routes to School Program Coordinator is the central point of contact for all Safe Routes to School programs; and

(3) Appropriates funds for the Department of Transportation to hire staff.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Department of Education, Department of Health, Department of Transportation, Department of Transportation Services of the City and County of Honolulu, Democratic Party of Hawaii Labor Caucus, Hawaii Bicycling League, AlohaCare, Hawaii Children's Action Network Speaks!, Maui Bicycling League, Hawaii Public Health Institute, Ulupono Initiative, and eighteen individuals.

Your Committee finds that decades of automobile-centric planning and development have created barriers to safety for keiki and kupuna on our roads. Your Committee further finds that recent deaths outside of Department of Education schools have illustrated the need for immediate action to create safer routes to schools.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Establishing a Safe Routes to School Advisory Committee and specifying the Committee's membership and duties;

(2) Requiring the Safe Routes to School Advisory Committee, rather than the Safe Routes to School Program Coordinator, to create a comprehensive, statewide safe routes to school plan;

(3) Amending the contents of the comprehensive, statewide safe routes to school plan;

(4) Repealing language that provides requirements for Safe Routes to School grant proposals, and instead requiring the Safe Routes to School Advisory Committee to develop an application process for projects under the Safe Routes to School Program;

(5) Requiring annual reports to the Legislature on the status of the Safe Routes to School Program;

(6) Amending the responsibilities of the Department of Transportation's Safe Routes to School Program to include:

(A) The development and publication of goals and performance measures; and

(B) The provision of technical assistance to counties and community organizations in support of projects and programs that advance state and county goals;

(7) Repealing section 291C-3(i), Hawaii Revised Statutes, which pertains to the statutory construction of section 291C-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to preserve eligibility for funding under an obsolete federal law;

(8) Deleting language that would have appropriated general funds to the Department of Transportation to hire staff, and instead:

(A) Transferring unspecified sums of state highway fund moneys into the safe routes to school program special fund; and

(B) Appropriating unspecified sums out of the safe routes to school program special fund to support and facilitate the Safe Routes to School Program, projects, and Advisory Committee; and to match any federal funds received by the State for costs related to sidewalk and other infrastructure planning, development, and construction;

(9) Amending the preamble to reflect the measure's amended purpose and to further explain the necessity of the measure; and

(10) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 600, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 600, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

________________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair