Bipartisan Legislation in Congress to Support Safe Routes to School

“Keeping kids safe on the way to school” is a winning message on both sides of the aisle. At a time when Washington, DC and the nation feel more divided than ever, we celebrate bipartisan legislation to strengthen the Safe Routes to School movement in the US.

In late May, Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced a bill requiring every state department of transportation to have a Safe Routes to School coordinator—a critical position to enable kids and families to safely walk and bike to school, no matter where they live.

From twenty years of supporting and evaluating the Safe Routes to School movement across the country, including ten years of our state report cards, it is abundantly clear that statewide Safe Routes to School coordinators power up Safe Routes to School programs in their states. Research shows that states with Safe Routes to School coordinators are: 

• 4x more likely to offer resources that help local programs get started 

• 12x more likely to assist communities in accessing funds and tools  

• 5x more likely to support Safe Routes to School curricula in school lessons 

The great news? All 50 states have experience leading Safe Routes to School. When Congress created the Safe Routes to School program in 2005, each state was required to have a Safe Routes to School coordinator, so every state has a proven track record with this position. When programs were consolidated in 2012, some states eliminated the position. However, it’s clear that continued success of Safe Routes to School depends on dedicated coordination at the state level to deliver impact across all kinds of communities — rural, suburban, and urban.  

What’s next for this bill?

Congress is actively working on surface transportation reauthorization — the process, which takes place approximately every five years, of writing legislation and allocating funding for road, sidewalk, and trail transportation.  This bill is what’s called a “marker bill,” meaning it will not get a standalone vote, but it is used to build support for a concept with the goal of inclusion in the surface transportation reauthorization bill. At the Safe Routes Partnership, we are working to build support among members and committees to ensure this language is included in the overall surface transportation reauthorization bill.

Stay tuned for news on a similar bill forthcoming from the House of Representatives!

For twenty years, the Safe Routes Partnership has been your voice on Capitol Hill – cultivating Congressional champions and advocating for the policy and funding for Safe Routes to School.  Our efforts have led to major victories like creating a federal Safe Routes to School program that invested over $1 billion in comprehensive Safe Routes to School programs in all 50 states and DC; making Safe Routes to School eligible for even more funding streams and expanding Safe Routes to Schools from K-8 through high schools. As the only national organization dedicated to advancing Safe Routes to School movement, we need your support to keep Safe Routes to School funded and prioritized in federal law. Invest in the future of the Safe Routes to School movement today.