Outline of Transportation Bill to be Released

By Ryan Gray

Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), the chair of the House Transportation Committee, will be releasing an outline of the transportation reauthorization bill this week. There could be some good news for the school transportation industry.

With a full draft of the bill expected before the July 4 recess, there is speculation that the $612 million federal Safe Routes to School Program will receive a boost in funding. This spring, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services worked with the Safe Routes to School National Partnership to include verbiage into recommendations filed with House leaders to appropriate 10 percent of Safe Routes infrastructure funds for increasing school bus stop safety.

Proponents have asked for full funding of the program at $17 billion over the next five years, but likely some kind of compromise with House Republicans will pare down that figure considerably. Despite Safe Routes being a pet project of Rep. Oberstar, Republicans sent a letter to President Obama last month that proposed program cuts deigned to help trim the budget, including a line item to eliminate Safe Routes.

Here's a list of programs school districts that have received funding since the Safe Routes program started in 2005 under the SAFETEA-LU. Has your district looked into similar funding opportunities?