23 U.S.C. § 208 — Safe routes to school

(a) "In the vicinity of schools" means roughly the two-mile area around a school that's within walking or biking distance. "Primary, middle, and high schools" means schools teaching kindergarten through 12th grade. (b) The Secretary of Transportation must set up and run a safe routes to school program for students in those schools. (c) The program's goals are to help kids, including kids with disabilities, walk and bike to school; to make walking and biking safer and more appealing, so kids build healthy habits early; and to help plan and build projects that improve safety and cut down on traffic, fuel use, and air pollution near schools. (d) Each year's funding is split among the states based on each state's share of total K-12 student enrollment nationwide. No state gets less than $1,000,000. Before splitting the money, the Secretary can set aside up to $3,000,000 for the Secretary's own administrative costs. The Secretary decides the enrollment numbers used for the split. (e) The state's own department of transportation manages the money. (f) States must give the money to state, local, tribal, and regional agencies — including nonprofits — that can show they can meet the program's requirements. (g) States can use the money for infrastructure projects — like sidewalks, traffic calming, safer crossings, bike lanes, bike parking, and traffic diversion — on any public road, path, or trail near schools, if the project would clearly help kids walk or bike to school. States can also use the money for noninfrastructure activities, like public awareness campaigns, traffic safety enforcement near schools, student safety lessons, and training volunteers and program managers; between 10 and 30 percent of a state's yearly money must go toward these noninfrastructure activities. Every state must also use enough of its money to fund one full-time safe routes to school coordinator. (h) The Secretary must give grants to a national nonprofit group focused on safe routes to schools, to run a national clearinghouse, develop information and education programs, and give technical help and share successful strategies. This is paid for out of the administrative money set aside under (d). (i) No matter what other law says, a project funded under this section is treated as a project on a Federal-aid highway under chapter 1.