Protect Our Students Act
Sponsored By: Representative Titus, Dina [D-NV-1]
In Committee
Summary
School zone safety is treated as an eligible use of federal highway safety funds and the bill would raise the applicable program allocation share from 40% to 50%. It would allow states to use Section 402 highway safety dollars for targeted school-zone actions such as crossing guards, flashing lights and beacons, visible signage and markings, crosswalks, traffic calming and pedestrian islands, traffic lights, school-zone audits and assessments, automated traffic enforcement, and Safe Routes to School non-infrastructure.
Show full summary
- Families and students: Would make it easier to fund measures that reduce the roughly 100 student deaths and about 25,000 student injuries yearly from traffic while walking to or from school. These changes focus resources on safer routes to school.
- Local governments and school districts: Would be able to tap state highway safety program funds for both physical changes and non-infrastructure programs like crossing guards and safety audits. This can lower local barriers to common safety upgrades.
- State highway safety programs: Would expand eligible uses under 23 U.S.C. 402(a)(2)(vi) and increase the applicable allocation share from 40% to 50%, shifting a larger portion of program funds toward school-zone safety efforts.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Federal funds for school-zone safety
This bill would let State highway safety program funds be used to reduce traffic incidents in school zones. If enacted, it would explicitly allow federal highway safety money to pay for crossing guards; flashing lights and beacons; visible signs and markings; crosswalks; traffic calming (including pedestrian islands); traffic lights; school zone audits and assessments; automated traffic enforcement; and Safe Routes to School non-infrastructure. The Department of Transportation would have to write rules clarifying these uses. The change would take effect upon enactment.
More federal highway safety money
This bill would raise the share of a specific highway safety funding allocation from 40% to 50%. If enacted, this would shift a larger portion of federal highway safety money to that funding category when allocations are made. The absolute dollar change would depend on total annual appropriations. The change would take effect upon enactment.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Titus, Dina [D-NV-1]
NV • D
Cosponsors
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 1/13/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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