Blog

Federal Policy Q&A – Summer/Fall 2021

In August, we sent a link to the Safe Routes to School community to ask questions about federal policy related to walking, bicycling, and Safe Routes to School and committed to answering them here on the blog. Do you have questions? Submit them here.

Questions are italicized. Answers are bulleted below.

“How does your analysis on Aug 10 jibe with DeFazio’s work?”

Deadlines Loom for Infrastructure and Budget as September Rolls Around

After a busy spring and summer working on legislation to reauthorize surface transportation spending, Congress is staring down a September 30th expiration date for current funding. Congress must reauthorize transportation spending or pass a short-term extension in order to maintain funding for transportation. Where things currently stand:

Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Makes Meaningful Strides Toward Increasing Funding and Improving Safety for People Walking, Biking, and Safe Routes to School

On Sunday, August 1, 2021, a bipartisan group of Senators released the final bill text for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This bill reauthorizes transportation funding through 2026 and incorporates priorities originally identified in President Biden’s American Jobs Act. It is currently being debated and amended on the Senate floor. We will continue to update this post as developments occur.

Two key points:

Why Safe Routes to Parks: Stories, Data, and Resources to Illustrate the Mission

Safe Routes Partnership is passionate about improving park access for everyone. This visual storyboard - illustrated with statistics and successes - helps explain the Safe Routes to Parks program, and invites you to join us in advocating for equitable parks in your community and everywhere.

Trauma-Informed Approaches to Safe Routes to School Programming

We have all experienced individual and collective trauma this year, and the effects of that trauma will likely last well into the future. Prolonged isolation, fear, financial insecurity, sickness, police brutality, and harassment are only some of the complex issues that kids faced this year, especially kids of color, disabled kids, and kids from lower-income families.