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Safe Routes to School
The federal Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program was first created in August 2005 through Section 1404 of SAFETEA-LU, and authorized at $612 million in funding over five years, through September 2009. Congress has extended the program at $183 million per year starting in FY2010 until a long-term transportation reauthorization is complete. State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) use these funds to help communities increase the safety and frequency of children walking and bicycling to and from school, and to help address traffic congestion, air quality issues, and childhood physical inactivity and obesity.
In 2009, Congress will be considering the next surface transportation bill, which includes Safe Routes to School. This provides an opportunity for SRTS advocates to strengthen the program. The Safe Routes to School National Partnership worked in collaboration with our partners and SRTS supporters to develop a series of recommendations for the next transportation bill that will help SRTS continue to grow and succeed. We encourage SRTS supporters to review the following resources and consider helping build support for these recommendations by engaging your Members of Congress:
• Safe Routes to school National Partnership’s Reauthorization Platform
• 2009 Policy Report
• Toolkit for Building Congressional Champions – A Guide for Local SRTS Supporters
• Text of Safe Routes to School original legislation
We are meeting with Members of Congress and their staff regularly to discuss these legislative recommendations. If you do contact one of your U.S. Senators or House Representatives about SRTS, please let us know. Just send an e-mail to Margo Pedroso, Policy Manager, at margo@saferoutespartnership.org. Thank you in advance for your advocacy!
Featured Items:
New Safe Routes to School Senate Bill Sets Stage for Next Federal Transportation Bill
On May 21, 2009, Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Richard Burr (R-NC) , Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Susan Collins (R-ME) joined together to introduce the Safe Routes to School Program Reauthorization Act (S. 1156). The new Safe Routes to School bill proposes to build on successes around the country and strengthen and expand the federal Safe Routes to School program. We need assistance from all Safe Routes to School supporters and advocates to ensure that this legislation is ultimately included in the next transportation bill which is up for reauthorization this year. Please follow the links below to learn more and take action.
• For Individuals: Take Action and Contact your Senators
• For Organizations: Write a Letter to your Senators (.doc)
• Current Senate Supporters
• List of Supporting Organizations
• Press release from the Safe Routes to School National Partnership
• Press release from the Senate bill sponsors
• Summary of the legislation
• Full text of the legislation
• Safe Routes to School National Partnership’s reauthorization recommendations
House Transportation Bill and Blumenauer Bill Support Safe Routes to School
On June 24, 2009, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit unanimously approved its draft of the transportation bill, called the Surface Transportation Authorization Act. Chairman Oberstar included a number of provisions to strengthen Safe Routes to School. In addition, in November, Rep. Blumenauer introduced H.R. 4021 to expand Safe Routes to School to high schools. Neither the Surface Transportation Authorization Act nor the Blumenauer bill address funding levels at this point. Please contact your Representative to express support for Chairman Oberstar’s provisions and H.R. 4021. We provided sample text for you to use in your email here.
Latest News and Information:
Senate making progress on two bills
August 11, 2010
Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) has become a cosponsor of S. 1156, the Senate Safe Routes to School Program Reauthorization bill, bringing us to 25 Senate cosponsors. Our lead sponsors have all had recent conversations with the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) about Safe Routes to School. EPW Committee staff has indicated that a draft will likely be available during September.
In addition, the Senate Banking Committee recently approved S. 1619, The Livable Communities Act. The legislation creates a grant program to support planning and implementation of projects that integrate transportation, housing, and land use. Sen. Merkley (D-OR) successfully offered an amendment to allow recipients of planning groups to assess their school siting policies and school locations for opportunities to locate schools closer to students and increase the rates of walking and bicycling to school. The legislation must still be passed by the full Senate, and considered by the House before it can become law.
States show momentum in spending SRTS funds in second quarter
August 11, 2010
In the second quarter of 2010, states announced another $48 million in Safe Routes to School funds - bringing this to a total of $544 million. That is nearly all of the funds originally authorized for Safe Routes to School for FY2005-2009 ($597 million). On the obligation front, states obligated $31 million in funds in the second quarter of 2010; obligation is a good measure of when a project is close to being built or implemented. This $31 million is 50% greater than last quarter, showing that states are building momentum around obligation. All but 11 states obligated funds during this quarter. States have obligated $293 million, about half of the FY2005-2009 funds and 38% of all currently available funds (through FY2010).
SRTS Making Progress in the Senate
July 7, 2010
Senators Bennet (D-CO) and Specter (D-PA) have joined as cosponsors for S. 1156, the Safe Routes to School Program Reauthorization bill. We now have a total of 24 Senators publicly supporting strengthening and expanding the federal Safe Routes to School program. Having so many Senators supporting the legislation makes a strong statement to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which is currently working on a draft transportation bill, about the value of Safe Routes to School.
Safe Routes to School avoids a House vote to cut it—for now
June 16, 2010
In response to a threat of a potential floor vote to cut Safe Routes to School funding through Rep. Cantor’s (R-VA) YouCut initiative, advocates across the country contacted their Members of Congress to ask them to vote against any cuts to Safe Routes to School. More than 1150 people emailed their Members of Congress in a 24-hour period, plus many others called their Representative directly. Safe Routes to School will not be subject to a floor vote this week as one of the other YouCut options, selling off excess federal property, got the most votes. However, Rep. Cantor’s press secretary has indicated that bicycling and walking will likely be the subject of future YouCut votes, so we must remain vigilant. Thank you so much to all the organizations and individuals that responded to the threat and helped raise awareness of the importance of Safe Routes to School.
Help respond to attack on federal Safe Routes to School funding
June 14, 2010
House Republican Whip Eric Cantor has targeted the federal Safe Routes to School program as wasteful government spending as part of his YouCut program. Rep. Cantor asks people to vote for which of five options they would cut from the federal budget. Republicans then hold a floor vote in the House of Representatives to try and eliminate the program that gets the most votes. This week, the federal Safe Routes to School program is one of Rep. Cantor’s targets. He argues that SRTS duplicates other bicycling and walking programs, and that bicycling and walking infrastructure is a local government responsibility. Please take 3 minutes to send a message to your Member of Congress to ask them to vote against any effort to cut Safe Routes to School.
Senate Committee working on draft transportation bill
June 8, 2010
There is movement again on the next transportation bill. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has started working behind the scenes on drafting a new surface transportation bill. While the bill will likely not be written and released for review until later this summer, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership is continuing to talk with the committee staff about our requests to strengthen and expand the Safe Routes to School program. Over the next month, we will be working with our Senate champions to continue to express their support for Safe Routes to School.
Secretary LaHood Participates in SRTS Event
April 23, 2010
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) participated in a walk to school event at St. Thomas Aquinas School in Indianapolis on April 23. The Partnership’s steering committee vice-chair Andy Clarke of the League of American Bicyclists also led a bike train for students. LaHood then accompanied Governor Mitch Daniels (R-IN) to a Safe Routes to School kick-off event at St. Joan of Arc School, also in Indianapolis. The Secretary blogged about his experience, and enthusiastically wrote about the benefits of Safe Routes to School.
Partnership Participates in White House Childhood Obesity Summit
April 9, 2010
Earlier in the month, on April 9, Margo Pedroso, Deputy Director of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, participated in the White House Childhood Obesity Summit. The built environment, land use planning, and Safe Routes to School were mentioned by several participants in the summit. Input from summit participants will be incorporated into a forthcoming childhood obesity action plan.
Transportation Extension Passes; Senate Focusing on Reauthorization
April 1, 2010
Since our last update, Congress has passed the long-term transportation extension through December 2010, -meaning that the federal Safe Routes to School program will be funded at the FY2009 level of $183 million throughout the remainder of FY2010 and the first quarter of FY2011. The Federal Highway Administration should be issuing the memo within a few weeks that gives states their exact apportionments for all transportation programs. Once the memo has been issued, the Partnership will be working with state and local advocates to ensure that state Departments of Transportation make plans to hold new SRTS grant cycles that will put the newly available funds to good use in schools and communities across the country.
Senator Boxer, chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has also publicly stated that she wants to move forward on the full transportation reauthorization bill this year. The Committee has started holding more hearings, and staff is starting to work on drafting legislation. It is important that advocates continue to contact their Senators to ask for their support of S. 1156, the Safe Routes to School Program Reauthorization Act. Fortunately, we are now up to 22 Senators in support, with Senator Murray (D-WA) the latest addition. In the House, during the National Bike Summit bike advocates were successful in getting 16 new sponsors for H.R. 4021, the Safe Routes to High Schools Act, bringing the total supporters to 39 Representatives.
Partnership Submits Comments Linking SRTS to Federal Childhood Obesity Efforts
March 23, 2010
First Lady Michelle Obama and the federal Task Force on Childhood Obesity are developing a national action plan on childhood obesity. The SRTS National Partnership submitted detailed comments on Safe Routes to School, active transportation networks, and Complete Streets. Nearly 100 SRTS supporters also submitted comments to the Task Force. We continue to work with our federal agency partners and the First Lady’s office to raise the profile of Safe Routes to School within this movement.
Long-term transportation extension on tap
March 8, 2010
A great deal of back-and-forth has been happening on the transportation and jobs bills since our last update. The last week of February, the Senate moved forward on its jobs bill, a much smaller and more focused bill. It includes a long-term extension for SAFETEA-LU until December 31, 2010 but does not include any new stimulus funding for surface transportation. Due to procedural hurdles, the House and Senate were not able to agree on the final jobs bill (including the transportation extension) before the end of February, so SAFETEA-LU actually expired for two days. Congress has since passed another short-term extension allowing SAFETEA-LU to continue through March. The House has also just passed a slightly tweaked version of the Senate jobs bill. At this point, the Senate must vote one final time on the jobs bill before it can be signed into law. Once that happens, SAFETEA-LU will be operating under the long-term extension. The federal Safe Routes to School program (and all other SAFETEA-LU programs) will be funded throughout the remainder of FY2010 and the first quarter of FY2011 at the FY2009 funding level.
It is also expected that within a few weeks, Congress will pass language that will allow Safe Routes to School and several other transportation programs to receive an allocation of additional “bonus formula funds” which could increase funding for Safe Routes to School by another 7 to 10 percent for FY2010. Finally, the Senate will likely move forward on other larger jobs bills in the coming weeks and months, and there is still talk that one of these bills will include additional funding for transportation, similar to last year’s stimulus funding.
Alternative climate legislation soon to be released
March 8, 2010
Senators Kerry (D-MA), Lieberman (I-CT), and Graham (R-SC) have been working behind the scenes to develop a bipartisan compromise on a climate and energy security bill. Majority Leader Reid has asked the Senators to release their compromise within the next few weeks in hopes that the Senate could consider climate legislation yet this year. It remains to be seen what will be included in the compromise bill specific to transportation, although it seems likely that there will be some kind of carbon tax on fuels that could be used for green transportation projects or supplementing the highway trust fund.
SRTS highlighted at US DOT listening session
February 19, 2010
The US DOT sponsored a listening session for the reauthorization of the federal transportation bill in Los Angeles, California. During the plenary session, many questions were raised about the role of Safe Routes to School, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and health in US DOT and Congressional priorities. Secretary Ray LaHood emphasized the DOT’s focus on livability and told the crowd, “we get it!” In response to these questions Senator Boxer stated, “this is real, we’re working to create healthy sustainable communities.” Later in the day, Safe Routes to School National Partnership Director Deb Hubsmith spoke on a panel focused on transportation safety.
Transportation bill in a holding pattern; jobs bill under discussion
February 3, 2010
Since Senate Democrats no longer hold a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority, bills that are controversial or require the outlay of significant new funding—like the transportation and climate bills—are more difficult to pass. Senate leaders have started negotiations on their jobs package. The Senate may work on several jobs bills, and it looks like funding for transportation (including Transportation Enhancements) will be included, but at a lower level than the House-passed jobs bill. It is possible that infrastructure funding could be held back for a future bill. In the meantime, the U.S. Department of Transportation continues to hold listening sessions around the country to discuss the future of the transportation bill. Network organizers in Louisiana and Minnesota attended the first two listening sessions to discuss the importance of the federal Safe Routes to School program for safety and livability.
Congress passes transportation extension
January 7, 2010
Before adjourning for the holidays, Congress passed an extension to the current SAFETEA-LU transportation bill, which allows transportation funds to continue to flow until February 28, 2010. All existing programs, including Safe Routes to School, will continue to be funded at their FY2009 levels through the end of February. The House also included a provision in other legislation (the jobs bill) to extend SAFETEA-LU until September 30, 2010—if the Senate concurs, action on the transportation bill would slip until late this year or next year.
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