Establishes "Hazardous School Route Grant Program" in DOE; appropriates $15 million.

S4363

SENATE, No. 4363

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MAY 28, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� LINDA R. GREENSTEIN

District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes �Hazardous School Route Grant Program� in
DOE; appropriates $15 million.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

establishing a hazardous school route grant
program, supplementing chapter 39 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, and
making an appropriation.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� a.� As used in this
section:�

���� �Department� means the New
Jersey Department of Education.

���� �Grant program� means the �Hazardous
School Route Grant Program� established pursuant to this section.

���� �Hazardous route� means a
route within a school district that, as of the date on which a school district
applies for a grant under the grant program, is not served by courtesy busing
services, requires students to walk to and from school along the route, and has
been designated by the school district as a hazardous route.

���� b.��� In consultation with the
New Jersey Department of Transportation, the New Jersey Department of Education
shall establish and administer the �Hazardous School Route Grant Program� for
the purpose of administering grants to school districts for projects that
mitigate conditions along hazardous routes.� The purpose of the grant program
is to improve pedestrian safety along hazardous routes across the State.

���� c.���� To qualify for the
grant program, a school district shall demonstrate to the department that:�

���� (1)�� the district is not
providing courtesy busing services in the current school year, has eliminated such
services at some point in the five school years preceding the current school
year, and is continuing to not provide courtesy busing services as part of the
district�s adopted school budget for the school year next following the current
school year if such school budget is adopted as of the date of application for
the grant;

���� (2)�� the district has previously
adopted a hazardous route policy pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1999, c.310
(C.18A:39-1.5);

���� (3)�� there is no other transportation
infrastructure funding allocated to a project for which the district is seeking
a grant through the grant program, including, but not limited to, State aid
allocated to counties and municipalities pursuant to section 25 of P.L.1984,
c.73 (C.27:1B-25).� Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to prevent the
governing body of a municipality from committing to municipal cost-sharing or
an in-kind contribution for a project for which a district is seeking a grant
through the grant program, provided that the municipality does not use
transportation infrastructure funding, as outlined in this paragraph, to invest
in such a project; and

���� (4)�� the district�s school
budget, for the most recent school year for which a school budget has been
adopted, has a general fund tax levy and equalization aid set at less than its
adequacy budget calculated pursuant to section 9 of P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-51).

���� d.��� (1)� The department may administer
grants to one or more school districts in any amount determined by the
department.� However, each district participating in the grant program shall not
receive more than $1,000,000 across all projects submitted by the district to
the department under the grant program.

���� (2)�� The department shall
determine permitted uses for funding administered to a district for a project
under the grant program, including, but not limited to, capital improvements
and the temporary provision of transportation for students commuting to school
along the hazardous route until the completion of a project being funded
through the grant program.

���� e.���� A school district
seeking a grant under the grant program shall, in consultation with the
governing body of the municipality in which a project is located, apply to the
department in a form and manner prescribed by the department.� In addition to
any other information that the department may deem appropriate, the application
shall require the school district and governing body of the appropriate
municipality to submit information demonstrating: �

���� (1)�� that the school district
meets the eligibility requirements set forth in subsection c. of this section;

���� (2)�� that the governing body
of the appropriate municipality shall be responsible for any right-of-way,
permitting, and long-term maintenance obligations for the project; and

���� (3)�� whether the governing
body of the appropriate municipality is willing to commit to municipal
cost-sharing or an in-kind contribution for the project.

���� Applications submitted
pursuant to this subsection may include more than one project, provided that
each project meets one or more permitted uses determined by the department
pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection d. of this section.

���� f.���� Upon receipt of a
completed application pursuant to subsection e. of this section, the department
shall review the application based on, at a minimum, the severity of the
hazardous conditions along the hazardous route, the number of students impacted
by the hazardous route, and the number of at-risk pupils, as that term is
defined in section 3 of P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-45), impacted by the lack of
courtesy busing services along the hazardous route.� The department shall
prioritize any application that includes a commitment from the governing body
of the appropriate municipality to municipal cost-sharing or an in-kind
contribution, as indicated in the application pursuant to paragraph (3) of
subsection e. of this section.� However, such commitment shall not be a
requirement for the approval of any application submitted pursuant to
subsection e. of this section under the grant program.� After conducting its
review, the department may approve applications for the grant program on a
rolling basis, subject to the availability of funds.

���� g.��� Each school district
that receives a grant under the grant program shall, in consultation with the
governing body of the municipality in which the project is located, submit to
the department:�

���� (1)�� a project plan prior to
undertaking each project;

���� (2)�� an annual progress
report for each project until the completion of that project; and

���� (3)�� a final report upon the
district�s completion of all projects funded through the grant program, which
report shall document expenditures, measurable safety improvements, and the
number of students impacted.

���� h.��� No later than 60 days
following the end of any school year in which grants are administered to school
districts under the grant program, the department shall prepare and submit a
report, in consultation with the New Jersey Department of Transportation, on
the �Hazardous School Route Grant Program� to the Governor, and pursuant to
section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature.� At a minimum,
the report shall include information on safety outcomes of each project that
received a grant through the grant program, based on information submitted to
the department pursuant to subsection g. of this section, and whether the
department recommends continuing or expanding the grant program.

���� i.���� The department, in
consultation with the New Jersey Department of Transportation, shall adopt
rules and regulations, pursuant to the �Administrative Procedure Act,� P.L.1968,
c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of
this section.� At a minimum, the regulations shall establish the requirements
for application submissions, the criteria for application selections, and the permitted
use of a grant.

���� 2.��� There is appropriated
from the General Fund to the Department of Education the sum of $15,000,000 for
the purpose of administering grants through the �Hazardous School Route Grant
Program� established by this act.

���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill requires the New
Jersey Department of Education (department), in consultation with the New
Jersey Department of Transportation, to establish and administer the �Hazardous
School Route Grant Program� (grant program) to provide funding to school districts
for projects that mitigate conditions along hazardous routes.� Under the grant
program, the department is to determine the amount of each grant and permitted
uses for grants administered through the grant program.� However, each school
district participating in the grant program may not receive more than $1
million across all projects submitted by the district to the department under
the grant program.� Moreover, the bill appropriates $15 million from the
General Fund to the department for the purpose of administering grants through
the grant program.

���� To qualify for the grant
program, a school district is required to meet certain eligibility criteria
outlined in the bill, including a requirement that the district has not
provided nonmandated or �courtesy� busing within a certain time frame outlined
in the bill.� School districts, in consultation with the governing body of the
municipality in which a project is located, are also required to submit certain
information to the department when applying for a grant, as outlined in the
bill.� The bill permits the department to approve the grant applications on a
rolling basis, subject to the availability of funds, after considering certain
criteria outlined in the bill during its review of an application.� While the
department is required to prioritize any application that includes a municipal
commitment to cost-sharing or an in-kind contribution, the bill clarifies that
such investment is not required for the approval of an application.

���� Finally, the bill requires
each school district that receives funding under the grant program to, in
consultation with the governing body of the municipality in which a project is
located, submit certain information outlined in the bill concerning project
planning, performance, and finances to the department.� In addition, the
department, in consultation with the New Jersey Department of Transportation,
is required to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature that
includes the safety outcomes of each project funded through the grant program
and whether the department recommends continuing or expanding the grant
program.