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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
2454 |
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THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 |
H.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that traffic safety around Hawaii's schools must be strengthened to enable and encourage children to walk and bicycle to school and make these transportation alternatives more appealing to students and their families. The legislature further finds that ensuring sufficient funding for projects is a significant part of the safe routes to school program. As such, Act 212, Session Laws of Hawaii 2025, established the safe routes to school program vehicle registration surcharge to be deposited into the safe routes to school special fund to help pay for safe routes to school project. As there is set to be an increase in the funding for safe routes to school projects, the legislature also finds that ensuring that safe routes to school funds are appropriately spent is equally important.
Therefore, the purpose of this Act is to clarify eligibility and improve accountability for the use of safe routes to school funds.
SECTION 2. Section 291C-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
"§291C-3 State and county safe routes to school programs; coordinators; grants; reports. (a) There is established, within the department of transportation, a safe routes to school program that shall, among other things, enhance traffic safety around Hawaii's schools, enable and encourage children to walk and bicycle to school, and make bicycling and walking to school a safer and more appealing transportation alternative. Beginning July 1, 2024, the program shall be responsible for developing and publishing goals and performance measures in coordination with the safe routes to school advisory committee and providing technical assistance to counties and community organizations in support of projects and programs that advance state and county goals.
(b) There is created, within the department of transportation, the position of safe routes to school program coordinator. The safe routes to school program coordinator shall provide a central point of contact for the safe routes to school program.
(c) The department of transportation shall
administer the safe routes to school program and may plan, design, construct,
implement, and administer safe routes to school projects that serve the
purposes stated in subsection (a). For
purposes of this section, eligible safe routes to school projects may be
undertaken by the department of transportation, a county, or in partnership
with other public agencies or schools.
The department of transportation may expend funds from the safe routes
to school program special fund to implement this section, including for staff
labor and non-labor expenses, and the central services assessment required by
section 36-27. The department of
transportation may transfer funds from the safe routes to school program
special fund to a county for the planning, design, construction, implementation,
and administration of eligible safe routes to school projects undertaken by the
county.
[(c)] (d) A county designated
office, through the county safe routes to school program coordinator, and in
consultation with the department of education, department of health, and Hawaii
Association of Independent Schools, shall provide safe routes to school funds
for school-based and community-based workshops and infrastructure and
non-infrastructure projects that will reduce vehicular traffic and congestion,
encourage walking and bicycling, and promote health and safety around Hawaii's
schools.
(e) Any funds from the safe routes to school
program special fund allocated to a county to serve as matching funds for a
federal-aid project shall have the corresponding federal funds obligated no
later than two years after the date on which the department of transportation
initially transferred the matching funds to the county for the project;
provided that the department of transportation may grant an extension to
obligate the funds for good cause shown.
(f) For any project undertaken by a county for
which funds are allocated from the safe routes to school program special fund,
the county shall expend all funds:
(1) Within four
years from the date on which the department of transportation initially
transferred funds for the project; or
(2) For federal-aid
projects, within four years from the date federal funds were initially
obligated;
provided that the department of transportation
may grant an extension to complete the expenditure of funds for good cause
shown.
(g) Any funds allocated to a county under this
section that are not obligated or expended within the timeframes required in
subsections (e) and (f), including funds associated with projects that are not
completed, shall revert to the safe routes to school program special fund and
may be reallocated by the department of transportation for other eligible safe
routes to school projects.
[(e)]
(i) Implementation of the county
safe routes to school program shall take into consideration the need to:
(1) Fill a permanent, full-time position of safe routes to school coordinator within the county designated office;
(2) Maximize the participation of school officials and stakeholder groups in the community;
(3) Work in conjunction with county designated safe routes to school stakeholders and train volunteer facilitators for school-based workshops and community-based projects, including flexible training schedules;
(4) Train potential grant requestors and stakeholder groups in federal and state requirements necessary for procurement, contracts, design, and construction; and
(5) Allocate not less than ten per cent and not more than thirty per cent of safe routes to school funds for non-infrastructure-related activities or activities to encourage walking and bicycling to school, public awareness campaigns, student sessions on bicycle and pedestrian safety, or other non-infrastructure activities.
[(f)]
(j) The safe routes to
school advisory committee established pursuant to section 291C-6 shall develop
a streamlined process for the safe routes to school program that meets federal and state
requirements, simplifies the grant proposal application process, and expedites release of funding after completion of
school-based and community-based projects for infrastructure and
non-infrastructure.
[(g)] (k) The safe routes to school advisory committee
established pursuant to section 291C-6 shall submit to the legislature an
annual report of the
status and progress of the safe routes to school program, including an
accounting of all grants provided through the program and a timeline for future
grant awards, no later than twenty days prior
to the convening of each regular session."
SECTION 3. Statutory material to be repealed is
bracketed and stricken. New statutory
material is underscored.
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
Report Title:
Safe Routes to School; Department of Transportation; Counties; Funding; Eligibility and Accountability
Description:
Requires
the Department of Transportation to administer the Safe Routes to School
Program. Amends the purposes for which
funds of the Safe Routes to School Special Fund may be used for. Establishes deadlines for when funds from
Safe Routes to School Special Fund that are allocated to the counties should be
obligated or expended by. (HD1)
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.