STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3115

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.R. No. 33

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Transportation and International Affairs and Education, to which was referred S.R. No. 33 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO MAXIMIZE THE USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS UNDER THE SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAM,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Department of Transportation to maximize the use of federal funds under the safe routes to school program.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from Hawai‘i Pacific Health, Kauai Path, Inc., Hawaii Bicycling League, Cycle On Hawaii, and four individuals.  Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Transportation.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Health.

     Safe Routes to School is a federally-funded program designed to substantially improve the ability of primary and middle school students to bike and walk to and from school safely.  The purpose of the safe routes to school program in Hawaii is also to promote walking and bicycling to and from school, encourage elementary and middle school aged children to be physically active, and prevent childhood obesity.

     Your Committees are concerned for the safety of children and want to ensure that projects of the Department of Transportation that are located adjacent to schools include pedestrian safety and traffic calming measures.  Your Committees find that the Department of Transportation may not be using federal grants to the maximum extent possible for traffic safety projects in school zones.  Your Committees believe that sound public policy by the State includes using and maximizing federal funds whenever possible and therefore finds that the State should use federal funds available to supplement projects of the Department of Transportation that are adjacent to schools to enable students to safely walk and bike to and from school.

     Your Committees also believe that the Hawaii safe routes to school program should be a federal-state-private entity partnership to maximize federal funding and that the Department of Transportation and Department of Education should encourage private entities to assist in funding the program.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Adding language to request the Department of Transportation and Department of Education to encourage private entities to assist in funding the program as a federal-state-private entity partnership to maximize federal funding;

     (2)  Amending the title of the measure to read, "REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO MAXIMIZE THE USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS UNDER THE SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAM, AND REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ENCOURAGE PRIVATE ENTITIES TO ASSIST IN FUNDING THE PROGRAM"; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation and International Affairs and Education that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 33, as amended herein, and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 33, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Transportation and International Affairs and Education,

____________________________ JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair

____________________________ J. KALANI ENGLISH, Chair