AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 49; Title 54 and Title 55, relative to pedestrian safety.
Summary
SB0141 creates a new Student Pedestrian Protection Grant Program within the Tennessee Department of Transportation. The program is intended to provide competitive grants to local governments for designing, constructing, repairing, or replacing sidewalk infrastructure around public schools. The bill also creates a dedicated Student Pedestrian Protection Grant Fund in the state treasury to receive appropriations and donations for the program.
The commissioner of transportation would set the annual budget, establish grant-selection criteria, and determine the required local match for grant awards. Local governments must agree to match grant funds, though some or all of the match may be satisfied through approved in-kind project work. The bill also authorizes the department to adopt rules, requires quarterly and final reporting from grant recipients, and directs TDOT to report annually to the General Assembly on fund receipts and expenditures.
Impact
The bill adds a new part to Tennessee Code Annotated Title 54 and affects state transportation law by establishing a grant program focused on pedestrian safety near public schools. It creates a nonreverting special fund within the general fund, authorizes investment and carryforward of unused balances, and gives TDOT rulemaking and administrative authority over grant distribution and oversight. Local governments seeking funds for school-area sidewalk projects would be the primary recipients, and they would need to provide matching support to participate.
Sentiment
The available voting history shows strong support for the bill. The Senate Transportation and Safety Committee recommended passage unanimously, 9-0, and the floor vote on third consideration was also unanimous at 29-0. No committee transcript is available, but the recorded votes suggest broad bipartisan agreement and little visible opposition.
Contention
No specific objections are documented in the available materials, and the bill advanced without recorded dissent in committee or on the floor. The main policy design features that could have been points of discussion are the requirement that local governments provide a match, the competitive grant structure, and TDOT’s discretion to set selection criteria and determine whether in-kind work counts toward the match. However, the provided record does not show any formal controversy over those provisions.
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 8; Title 33; Title 36; Title 37; Title 48; Title 49; Title 52; Title 53; Title 55; Title 56; Title 62; Title 63 and Title 68, relative to health.