Bill Text: HI SB1081 | 2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating To Safe Routes To School.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-01-27 - Referred to TCA, WAM. [SB1081 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2023-SB1081-Introduced.html
|
THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
1081 |
|
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023 |
|
|
|
STATE OF HAWAII |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
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 transforming Hawaii's surface transportation systems and infrastructure to prioritize walking, rolling, bicycling, and public transit is at the nexus of the State's commitments to public health, public safety, economic vitality, and environmental sustainability. The most important component of this transformation is ensuring that every child in Hawaii enjoys the infrastructure, social support, confidence, and skills to walk, roll, bike, or bus to school.
The
legislature further finds that ensuring safe routes to school for every keiki
will not only protect our most vulnerable road users, but also serve as a
long-term investment in the future of transportation in the State. However, the legislature recognizes that
decades of automobile-centric planning and development have created formidable
barriers to this transformation. These
barriers include a lack of complete, safe, and comfortable bike and pedestrian
networks; burdensome and complicated funding mechanisms for safe routes to
school programs and community engagement; a lack of a state safe routes to
school plan that creates performance measures, goals, strategies, and
accountability; and a lack of coordination of safe routes to school promotion
among state and county agencies and community-based organizations.
Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to:
(1) Establish the safe routes to school advisory committee to develop a comprehensive statewide safe routes to school plan to advise the State on strategies to ensure that each child in the State is able to safely bike, walk, roll, or bus to that child's respective school; and
(2) Appropriate moneys for the department of transportation to hire additional staffing, including one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) safe routes to school program coordinator, and procure facilities and equipment necessary to support the safe routes to school advisory committee.
SECTION 2. Chapter 291C, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part I to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§291C- Safe routes to school advisory committee.
(a)
There is established within the planning branch of the highways division
of the department of transportation for administrative purposes a safe routes
to school advisory committee to advise the State on
strategies to ensure that each child in the State is able to safely bike, walk,
roll, or bus to that child's respective school.
(b)
The safe routes to school advisory committee shall develop a
comprehensive statewide safe routes to school plan that shall include:
(1) Methods to
stabilize the safe routes special fund distribution mechanism;
(2) Recommendations
to streamline safe routes to school program funding to facilitate schools and
communities' efforts to apply for, and receive, moneys;
(3) Identification
of, and recommendations for, funding mechanisms, planning processes, and
programming that are inclusive and equitable; and
(4) Recommendations
to prioritize safe routes to school programming to serve students attending
schools that receive federal funds pursuant to title I of the federal Elementary
and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act.
(c) The safe routes to school advisory committee
shall:
(1) Make the
comprehensive statewide safe routes to school plan developed pursuant to
subsection (b) available to the public no later than November 1, 2026; and
(2) Submit a copy
of the comprehensive statewide safe routes to school plan developed pursuant to
subsection (b), including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later
than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2027.
(d)
The safe routes to school advisory committee shall consist of the
following members:
(1) The safe routes
to school program coordinator;
(2) A
representative of the physical activity and nutrition branch of the department
of health; and
(3) A
representative of the department of education.
(e)
The members of the safe routes to school advisory committee shall elect
one of its members to serve as chairperson, who shall invite the following
individuals to serve as members of the advisory committee:
(1) A
representative of the Honolulu police department;
(2) A
representative of the Kauai police department;
(3) A
representative of the Hawaii police department;
(4) A
representative of the Maui police department;
(5) The county safe
routes to school program coordinator for the city and county of Honolulu;
(6) The county safe
routes to school program coordinator for the county of Kauai;
(7) The county safe
routes to school program coordinator for the county of Hawaii;
(8) The county safe
routes to school program coordinator for the county of Maui;
(9) One
representative from each metropolitan planning organization in the State;
(10) A
representative of the Papa Ola Lokahi Transportation Equity Working Group;
(11) A
representative of Hawaii Bicycling League;
(12) A
representative of Hawaii Public Health Institute;
(13) A
representative of the Statewide Safe Routes to School Coalition; and
(14) Any other
individuals that the safe routes to school advisory committee deems
appropriate.
(f)
The term of each member of the safe routes to school advisory committee
shall be four years; provided that of the members initially appointed, members shall serve for four
years, members shall serve for
three years, members shall
serve for two years, and the remaining members shall serve for one year.
(g)
The safe routes to school advisory committee shall:
(1) Meet no less
than monthly to review the State's progress in implementing the State's safe
routes to school program; and
(2) Make
recommendations to the department of transportation no less than biannually;
provided
that the safe routes to school advisory committee may meet and make
recommendations to the department of transportation at additional times as a
majority of the members of the safe routes to school advisory committee deems
necessary.
(h)
The members of the safe routes to school advisory committee shall serve
without compensation but shall be reimbursed for expenses, including travel
expenses, necessary for the performance of their duties."
SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2023-2024 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2024-2025 for the department of transportation to hire additional staffing, including one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) safe routes to school program coordinator position, and procure any facilities and equipment necessary to support the safe routes to school advisory committee.
The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of transportation for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 4. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2023.
|
INTRODUCED BY: |
_____________________________ |
|
|
|
Report Title:
DOT; Highways Division; Planning Branch; Safe Routes to School; Advisory Committee; Appropriation
Description:
Establishes the safe routes to school advisory committee within the Planning Branch of the Highways Division of the Department of Transportation. Appropriates moneys.
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
