On May 21, 2009, Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Richard Burr (R-NC) , Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Susan Collins (R-ME) joined together to introduce the Safe Routes to School Program Reauthorization Act (S. 1156). This is an exciting and important step forward as these five diverse Senators have agreed to champion the federal Safe Routes to School program.  To get more Senators to step up as leaders on Safe Routes to School, we need your help.  Your Senators need to hear from you about the importance of growing and strengthening the Safe Routes to School program in the next transportation bill.

Please take just five minutes to contact Senator Nelson and Senator Martinez to ask them to show their support for the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program by co-sponsoring the legislation.  Just type in your zip code to be directed to the appropriate message to “please co-sponsor” the bill.  A sample message is provided, but we encourage you to personalize it with a sentence or two about your local SRTS needs and interests.

S. 1156 would expand funding for SRTS to $600 million per year, include high schools, simplify regulatory compliance to improve project delivery, and strengthen research and evaluation.  All of these changes will make SRTS grants more widely available, and help more schools and communities across the country make it safer for children to walk and bicycle to school and get into healthier, greener habits.

For more details on the legislation, including a summary of the bill’s provisions, a list of supporting organizations, and the text of the legislation, please visit http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/national.

Thank you so much!!