Section 1. Section 53F-2-403 is amended to read:53F-2-403. Eligibility for state-supported transportation -- Approved bus routes.(1)As used in this section:(a)"Crosswalk" means the same as that term is defined in Section 41-6a-102.(b)"Hazardous route" means a path between a student's residence and the student's assigned school that a student must travel to get to school that contains one or more of the following conditions:(i)a highway the student must pass alongside or cross where:(A)the speed limit is 50 miles per hour or greater; and(B)there is no separated sidewalk or multi-use path;(ii)a route where a student must walk on the shoulder of a road because:(A)of the absence of a sidewalk; or(B)the sidewalk is not separated from traffic by a curb or green space;(iii)a route where a student must cross:(A)a highway with four or more lanes;(B)a railway crossing without active warning signals; or(C)an intersection where pedestrian-involved crashes occur at a rate higher than the average for a similar intersection; or(iv)a route where a student must pass through an:(A)active industrial or construction zone;(B)area with significant commercial trucking traffic; or(C)area in which natural drainage issues or lack of lighting frequently obstruct the path.(c)"Highway" means the same as that term is defined in Section 72-1-102.(d)"Middle school" means a public secondary school that provides instruction to a student between the elementary and high school levels.(e)"Sidewalk" means the same as that term is defined in Section 41-6a-102.(1)(2)(a)AExcept as provided in Subsection (2)(b), a student eligible for state-supported transportation means:(a)(i)except as provided in Subsection (1)(b)Subsection (2)(a)(ii), a student enrolled in kindergarten through grade 6 who lives at least 1-1/2 miles from school;(b)(ii)a student enrolled in grade 6, if grade 6 is in a middle school, and grades 7 through 12 who lives at least two miles from school; and(c)(iii)a student enrolled in a special program offered by a school district offers and approved by the state board approves for trainable, motor, multiple-disability, or other students with severe disabilities who are incapable of walking to school or where it is unsafe for students to walk because of their disabling condition, without reference to distance from school.(b)A student is eligible for state-supported transportation regardless of the distance between the student's residence and the school if:(i)the student is enrolled in:(A)kindergarten through grade 9, if grade 9 is in a middle school; and(B)a school located in the county of the first, second, or third class as described in Section 17-60-104; and(ii)the student's primary walking route to school is a hazardous route.(3)(a)A school district that receives the transportation funds described in Subsection (5)(d) from the state board shall:(i)provide transportation to and from school to an eligible student under Subsection (2)(b); and(ii)respond to a petition described in Subsection (3)(b) within 30 days.(b)A parent may petition the school district's school board to designate a specific route to a school as a hazardous route.(2)(4)If a school district implements double sessions as an alternative to new building construction, with the approval of the state board, those affected elementary school students residing less than 1-1/2 miles from school may be transported one way to or from school because of safety factors relating to darkness or other hazardous conditions as determined by the local school board determines.(3)(5)(a)The state board shall distribute transportation money to school districts based on:(i)an allowance per mile for approved bus routes;(ii)an allowance per hour for approved bus routes; and(iii)a minimum allocation for each school district eligible for transportation funding.(b)(i)Except as provided in Subsection (3)(b)(ii), the The state board shall distribute appropriated transportation funds based on the prior year's eligible transportation costs as legally reported under Subsection 53F-2-402(3).(ii)The state board shall distribute state appropriations for transportation for fiscal years 2021 and 2022 using fiscal year 2019 eligible transportation costs described in Subsection 53F-2-402(3).(c)The state board shall annually review the allowance per mile and the allowance per hour and adjust the allowances to reflect current economic conditions.(d)The state board may designate specific transportation funds to a school district for:(i)the students eligible for transportation funding under Subsection (2)(b); and(ii)the purposes described in Subsection (3).(e)If the state board distributes the transportation funds described in Subsection (5)(d) to a school district, the state board shall distribute the funds to the school district the state board determines to be in the most need of the funding to eliminate a hazardous route.(4)(6)(a)Approved bus routes for funding purposes shall be determined on fall data collected by October 1.(b)Approved route funding shall be determined on the basis of the most efficient and economic routes.(5)(7)A local school board may provide for the transportation of students regardless of the distance from school, from general funds of the school district.