28-0343-01 State Agency Enforcement Program (sTEP)

28-0343-01 State Agency Enforcement Program (sTEP)

NOTICE OF ELIGIBILITY: Only state agencies or constitutional offices outside the purview of the Illinois Office of the Governor with enforcement duties carried out by sworn law enforcement officers are eligible to receive funding for this grant (e.g., Illinois Secretary of State, Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois State Police).

I. INTRODUCTION:

High-visibility enforcement is paramount in the reduction of fatalities and injuries for Illinois road users. Increased enforcement deters unsafe driving behaviors while detecting and sanctioning those in violation of the law.

The Illinois Department of Transportation's (IDOT) Bureau of Safety Programs and Engineering (BSPE) annually provides state law enforcement agencies throughout Illinois with highway safety funding for enforcement activities. These highway safety-funded state law enforcement agencies can focus their enforcement efforts on occupant protection, impaired driving, speed, distracted driving, pedestrian safety, and other traffic-related violations.

Funding for these types of programs is limited; current/past funding of a program does not guarantee future funding. Program applicants must provide clear data supporting the community need and specific ways this program and funding will improve problem areas. Program applicants must also demonstrate how their request will help meet the Illinois Department of Transportation’s performance targets.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is for State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2028. Dates of operation are from July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2028. This grant is funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), previously referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), through 402, 405, and 1906 funds. Applicants may have the potential for agreement renewal. This is at the Grantor's discretion.

II. PROJECT GOAL:

Increase high-visibility enforcement on Illinois roadways to prevent fatalities and serious injuries.

III. GRANT PROPOSAL GUIDANCE

This grant program will have a multi-facet statewide enforcement emphasis focusing on interstates, US routes, state routes, and local roadways. The State Agency Enforcement Program (sTEP) will contribute to BSPE’s performance measures and targets. The state law enforcement agencies should partner with local and county enforcement on implementing enforcement during the scheduled enforcement campaigns.

This program focuses on the support of enforcement activities.
Educational, awareness, and/or training programs are more suited in the non-enforcement notice of funding opportunity (NOFO 28-0343-02 State Agency Non-Enforcement Program).

Enforcement Campaigns – The campaigns listed below are the campaigns during which Illinois’ local law enforcement agencies conduct stepped-up highway safety enforcement activities. IDOT recommends that state agencies also contribute to these statewide campaigns. The focus of each campaign and enforcement dates are listed below and on the following page. Although the focus of the campaign may be occupant protection or impaired driving, the agency can still issue other citations, such as but not limited to speeding, electronic device use, and illegal transportation.

Scheduled Campaigns:

• § Independence Day (Impaired Driving)
• § Speed Enforcement (Speed)
• § Labor Day (Impaired Driving)
• § Child Passenger Safety (September)
• § Halloween (Impaired Driving)
• § Thanksgiving (Occupant Protection)
• § Christmas/New Year’s (Impaired Driving)
• § Super Bowl (Impaired Driving)
• § St. Patrick’s Day (Impaired Driving)
• § Distracted Driving (April, Illegal use of electronic device)
• § Memorial Day (Occupant Protection)
 
Desired Outcomes by Enforcement Type:

The issuance of citations is the focus of these grants and warnings should be issued on a limited basis.

Occupant Protection:

1. A minimum of one (1) enforcement contact for every 60 minutes of patrol.
2. Thirty (30) percent should be for occupant protection violations. Front and back seat child and adult occupants.

Impaired Driving:

1. A minimum of one (1) enforcement contact for every 60 minutes of patrol.
2. A minimum of one (1) DUI arrest for every 15 hours of patrol.

Speeding:

1. A minimum of two (2) enforcement contacts for every 60 minutes of patrol.
2. Fifty (50) percent should be for speedrelated violations.

Distracted Driving:

1. A minimum of two (2) enforcement contacts for every 60 minutes of patrol.
2. Fifty (50) percent should be for distracted driving violations.

An enforcement contact with a driver and/or passenger who has committed multiple violations may be counted under multiple different enforcement categories.

Grantees should have controls in place to monitor officers even during periods of low activity.

Enforcement Techniques:

The following enforcement techniques can be utilized by state law enforcement agencies:

1. Saturation Patrol Operations:

Saturation patrol operations will occur either within one county, regions of the state, or statewide. These patrols will not be limited to designated routes but will allow movement of the officers on all roadways within the assigned patrol area. Officers will concentrate their activities on interstate, US routes, Illinois routes, local, and rural roadways in efforts to apprehend people not obeying the traffic safety laws.

2. Roadside Safety Checks:
In conjunction with the authority granted by statute and case law, Roadside Safety Checks (RSC) will be conducted for the enforcement of Illinois driver’s license, equipment, and driving under the influence (DUI) laws. RSC locations will be determined by the grantee agency and conducted following individual agencies’ established protocols. RSCs may be done in conjunction with officers from local law enforcement agencies.

3. Safety Belt Enforcement Zones:
Safety Belt Enforcement Zones (SBEZ) will be utilized to enforce various types of Illinois occupant protection laws, and may be done at various times of day.

4. Mobilization Enforcement
The mobilization enforcement patrols are designed for the annual state and national campaigns. They concentrate on occupant restraint and impaired driving through enforcement mobilizations, roving patrols, and saturation patrols.

5. Sustained Enforcement
This enforcement strategy allows for a substantial increase in enforcement efforts currently in effect. This enforcement should supplement regular traffic enforcement efforts currently in effect.

6. DRE Callout - This funding enables the payment of overtime to a certified Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) law enforcement officer, to be utilized as needed for drug and/or alcohol DUI arrests, crash reconstruction, or other relevant circumstances.

IV. ALLOWABLE COSTS:

Personnel (hireback or overtime hours only for enforcement staff)
Fringe Benefits (hireback or overtime hours only for enforcement staff)
Travel – mileage reimbursement
Telecommunicators

V. PROJECT FUNDING GUIDANCE:

Funding for these types of programs is limited; current/past funding of a program does not guarantee future funding. Program applicants must provide clear crash data supporting the need and specific ways this program and funding will improve problem areas. Program applicants must also demonstrate how their request will help meet BSPE's performance measures and targets.

1. Conducting cannabis-only compliance checks and motorcycle helmet compliance checks is prohibited.
2. This program is to pay for the enforcement and support needed for enforcement.
3. These are to be used for HIREBACK or OVERTIME only. No funding of regular patrol hours.
4. Due to Rules contained in the State Finance Act, IDOT can only pay for direct grant-related expenses on behalf of the State Agency. IDOT cannot pay for indirect costs and cannot pay the State Agency directly for expenditures.

VI. INDIRECT COSTS

Indirect Costs are allowable if the applicant has a negotiated (finalized) indirect cost rate. However, the applicant must select the reimbursement method of payment to receive indirect costs (see VIII. SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT GRANT PAYMENTS).

VII. AMOUNT THRESHOLD FOR SUPPLIES vs. EQUIPMENT

While the federally and state- recognized threshold for determining if an item is a supply or equipment, more restrictive amounts may be implemented. The BSPE has historically and will continue to uphold the $1000 threshold in determining supplies versus equipment. Therefore, items listed as supplies cannot exceed $999.99. Anything $1000 or more is defined as equipment.

Note that there may be some variations to the rule. For example, office furniture, regardless of cost, is still recognized as equipment. Grantees are encouraged to email DOT.TSgrants@illinois.gov for any questions or concerns.

VIII. SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT GRANT PAYMENTS

State Agency applicants will need to elect a method of payment for grant-related expenditures as part of the application process. Applicants must choose either REIMBURSEMENT, where the applicant will pay for grant-related expenditures themselves and then request reimbursement from the DEPARTMENT, or INVOICE/PAYROLL, where the applicant will submit invoices directly to the DEPARTMENT for payment and/or run grant-related payrolls against the designated DEPARTMENT appropriation. A combination of the two options will not be allowed.

IX. REIMBURSEMENT/INVOICES/PAYROLLS
A. Claims for reimbursement or invoices submitted by the Grantee will be for expenses that have been incurred to complete the scope of services/responsibilities in the Agreement. If the Grantee’s claims for reimbursement or invoices are deemed by the Grantor or auditors to not be sufficiently documented for supplies and equipment purchased or other services rendered, the Grantor may require further records and supporting documents to verify the amounts, recipients and uses of all funds invoiced pursuant to the Agreement. Furthermore, if any of the deliverables or milestones in the Agreement are not satisfactorily completed, the Grantee will refund payments made under the Agreement to the extent that such payments were made for any such incomplete or unsatisfactory deliverable.

The Grantee shall submit all claims for reimbursement or invoices for payment on Grantor-approved forms and include any required supporting documentation. Claims for reimbursement and invoices are due within thirty (30) days of the end of the service period being reimbursed or within thirty (30) days of the invoice date. The Grantee may request an extension of time to submit claims for reimbursement or invoices, along with required supporting documentation. Extension requests must be submitted to the Grantor in writing. The Grantor must provide a written approval or denial of a time extension.

If the Grant includes Grantee payrolls being paid directly by the Grantor instead of being reimbursed, payroll schedules, payroll voucher reports, and timecards or or spreadsheets detailing employee names, dates and hours worked during the payroll period are due to the Grantor within thirty (30) days of the end of the pay period. The Grantee may request an extension of time to submit any required payroll documentation. Extension requests must be submitted to the Grantor in writing. The Grantor must provide a written approval or denial of a time extension.

Final claims for reimbursement, invoices, payrolls and final reports, are due to the Grantor by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, August 1, 2028. Claims and invoices submitted to the Grantor by the August 1, 2028 due date will be reviewed and processed immediately for payment. Due to lapse period restraints, if the Grantee cannot meet the August 1, 2028 deadline for submitting any final claims for reimbursement or invoices, the Grantee will be responsible for any unreimbursed expenditures and/or unpaid invoices.

Any expenditure made prior to the Agreement start date is the responsibility of the Grantee.

The Grantee must submit the claim form and supporting documentation to the Grantor pursuant to the Agreement via email at:

DOT.BSPE.Claims@illinois.gov

If issues arise in submitting the claim form and/or supporting documents, please contact the Grantor Contact listed in the Agreement or the assigned BSPE staff as assigned by BSPE.

B. All claims and supporting documents shall be signed and dated electronically by either the project director or the authorized representative of the Grantee. The claim must include:

1. The Agreement Number.
2. Requests for reimbursement must be requested on the Grantor’s designated claim form.
3. Back up documentation, which may include invoices and receipts for expenditures, must be submitted with each claim.

C. Review and Approval

1. Upon submittal of a claim, the assigned Grantor Contact listed in the Agreement or the assigned BSPE staff as assigned by BSPE reviews and checks:

a. Mathematical accuracy of the claim.
b. That requested reimbursement is consistent with items included in the approved budget.
c. That total amount requested for reimbursement is proportional to the total amount budgeted.
d. That expenditures for each line item are less than or equal to the budgeted amounts and are allowable.
e. Completion of the work.

2. Failure to provide a complete claim may delay or prevent reimbursement. If there are problems with the claim, the assigned Grantor Contact listed in the Agreement or the assigned BSPE staff as assigned by BSPE will contact the Grantee to resolve the issue so that payment can be made, assuming all expenses are allowable. This may include submission of a new or corrected claim by the Grantee.

3. The assigned Grantor Contact listed in the Agreement or the assigned BSPE staff as assigned by BSPE will review and approve or reject the claim within thirty (30) days of the Grantee’s submittal. If rejected, the claim will not be processed for payment until revisions are approved by the Grantee.

D. Manager Approval

Once a claim is approved for payment, the Grantor’s Finance Unit processes the claim for payment by the Comptroller.

E. Send Payment

Once approved, the Comptroller forwards payment either via Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) or by mailing a check to the Grantee’s Remittance Address listed on the Agreement.

X. CERTS AND ASSURANCES

Grantees shall also follow the NHTSA Certs and Assurances that will be included in the Agreement. The 2027 NHTSA Certs and Assurances document is also attached under the Question Submission Information section in this NOFO posting. While these should remain the same during 2028, they may differ. The most up-to-date NHTSA Certs and Assurances shall be included in the Agreement.

Any agency that issues a sub-award via grant, contract, or any other means of distributing the funds in order to assist the agency receiving funds directly from IDOT are required to have all such sub-awardees sign the NHTSA Certs and Assurances. The signed certs and assurances must then be submitted to the Grantor Contact listed in Exhibit C of the Agreement.

XI. APPLICATION SCORING CRITERIA

The grant applicant agency’s risk levels and project proposal information. There are 100 points in total. The grant applications will be scored as follows:

• Risk Level – 30 points
• Problem Identification – 8 points
• Use of Strategic Highway Safety Plan – 2 points
• Traffic Stop Study – 2 points
• Location of Planned Enforcement – 10 points
• Planned Activity – 8 points
• Personnel – 30 points
• Additional Activities – 10 points

XII. ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE AND REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL FEDERAL FISCAL YEAR 2028 OPPORTUNITIES

NOTE: Some of these funding line-items may be unallowable for this specific grant program NOFO. Rather, this is guidance regarding all BSPE-issued SFY 2028 NHTSA program grants.

A. EMPLOYEES PERCENTAGE OF WORK

Full-time employees that work a percentage of their time on a grant, shall be paid on an hourly rate instead of a percentage of the overall salary. Percentages of time is not acceptable.

B. EMPLOYEES WITH MONTHLY OR ANNUAL SALARIES

Full-time employees that work on this grant cannot be paid their monthly or annual salaries. NHTSA requires all salaries to be broken down by hourly rates.

C. PART-TIME EMPLOYEES

Part-time employees shall be paid on an hourly rate. Percentages of time is not acceptable. Part-time grant funded personnel will not be eligible for leave time reimbursement.

D. FRINGE FOR NON-ENFORCEMENT PART-TIME EMPLOYEES

Fringe can be paid for non-enforcement staff members based on their hours of work associated with the specific grant. Example: If a staff member works five hours for the grant, IDOT will reimburse up to the fringe rate for the five hours worked at the hourly rate.

E. TRAVEL

All Grantee travel shall adhere to the Illinois Central Management Services (CMS) Travel Guide. The Travel Guide may be found at: https://cms.illinois.gov/employees/travel.html.

F. PROGRAMMATIC INCOME/IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS

Program Income will no longer be collected unless the grant applicant submits a proposal to BSPE and then received written approval for the collection and use of program income/in-kind contributions.

If approved, program income/in-kind contributions funds must be treated as federal dollars and must abide by all state and federal guidelines. These funds are to be expended in the grant year they were collected.

G. INVENTORY CONTROL

1. Any items purchased over $1,000, are required to be tracked and monitored by both the Grantee's agency and IDOT. This inventory will be monitored throughout the grant program. This inventory list must contain name of item, location of item, and unique identifier number for each item. How this is established is up to the Grantee's discretion but must have the required information described above.

2. If equipment above $1,000 is replaced with a new item and the previous was purchased with federal funds, the previous item will need to be turned into IDOT or disposed of properly. IDOT must be informed of what was disposed of and when. Then inventory control lists must reflect this change. If it is not returned or disposed of properly the new item will not be reimbursed.

3. The Safety Grant Administrator, Safety Grant Specialist, or any other appropriate Grantor employee will inspect annually any item purchased more than $1,000. Equipment purchased with grant funds of $10,000.00 or more will have the BSPE 36 Major Equipment Inventory Inspection form completed and put in the project file.

4. Equipment Monitoring:

a. All pieces of equipment will be monitored until disposed of. Grantees are required to keep detailed information on where the equipment is and must present it when requested by IDOT. Equipment is only to be disposed of when it is no longer useful and IDOT must be informed of the disposal.

b. Grantees are tasked with the disposal of the equipment following notification and approval by the Grantor.

H. TECHNOLOGY GUIDELINES FOR GRANTEES

1. Personal/Home Internet:

a. The Illinois Department of Transportation will not provide salary stipends, expense reimbursements, payments on behalf of grantees, or any reimbursement (via Purchasing Card or direct bill) to cover costs associated with use of personal/home internet services used while performing business related activities.

2. Computers/Laptop/Tablet Purchases:

a. If computers/laptops/tablets are approved in the Grantee's budget, prior approval from the Grantor Contact listed in Exhibit C of the Agreement is required before making the purchase. Computing devices/laptops/computers have a limit of $999 dollars.

b. If the Grantee is replacing a computing device and the previous computing device was purchased with federal funds, it must be returned to the Grantor after the new computing device is received.

c. Any purchase request over $999 requires justification with required documentation submitted to their Safety Grant Administrator prior to purchase. After reviewing, the Grantor Contact listed in Exhibit C of the Agreement will deem it allowable or denied.
 
d. Computer charges must meet the same fundamental standards as all other charges to federal awards. Criteria for approval determination of a computing device include:

i. They must be reasonable.
ii. There must be an informed, prudent decision regarding the cost, utility, and value to the project.
iii. They must be allowable.
iv. They must be directly allocable.
v. The primary/principal use of the computer and related costs must be directly allocable to the purpose, goals, and activities of the funded projects.
vi. They must be necessary for the project.
vii. Computers must be essential for project activities and use should be sufficiently tracked to be adequately justified in the event of audit.

XIII. LINE-ITEM/BUDGET REVISIONS/AMENDMENTS TRANSFERS

Grantor requires the Grantee to provide prior written notification of any intended line-item transfers or other updates to the Agreement budget, regardless of dollar amount. Grantees must submit the intended updates to the Grantor Contact listed in Exhibit C of the Agreement using the Budget Revision Request & Approval BSPE 02 form. No changes to the budget are allowed without prior approval from the Grantor. Non-approved changes will not be eligible for reimbursement.

Details

• Awarding Agency: Transportation
• Departments: Highway Safety Grants - Bureau of Safety Programs and Engineering -
• CSFA Number: 494-10-0343
• CSFA Popular Name: NHTSA Section 402, Section 405, and 1906 funds and State of Illinois funds
• Funding Opportunity Number: 28-0343-01
• Assistance Listings Number: 20.600, 20.611, 20.616
• Announcement Type: Initial Announcement
• Award Type: Competitive
• Total Funding Available: $10,000,000.00
• Expected Number of Awards: 10
• Funding Sources: Federal Or Federal Pass Through, State
• Capital Grant: No
• Indirect Costs Allowed: Yes
• Posted Date: 2026-04-27
• Award Period: 2027-07-01 – 2028-06-30

Funding Source Description

State Funds, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), or current funding bill if IIJA is replaced. State Funds, and IIJA federal funding Sections 402, 405, and 1906 sections depending on the specific grant objectives.

Allowable Budget Items: Personnel, Fringe, Travel, and Telecommunicators

Funding Restrictions

See Funding Source Description

Restrictions on Indirect Costs

Yes

State Award Notices

Awards should be issued prior to the grant start date.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements

This NOFO is restricted by policies set forth in the IIJA (P.L. 177-58), 2 CFR 200, and GATA.

Reporting

The Periodic Financial Report is required at a minimum of four (4) times per year but may be required more frequently. Each Grantee's final reporting frequency shall be in the Agreement.

Performance Plan Reports are due monthly within Euna (previously referred to as Amplifund.

In addition, the Grantee's assigned Safety Grant Administrator, Safety Grant Specialist, Grantor-approved employee, or Grantor Contact listed in Exhibit C of the Agreement may have monitoring meetings throughout the grant year.

Additional Information

https://idot.illinois.gov/programs-and-projects/safety-programs/safety-grants.html

2 CFR 200- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200

23 CFR 1300- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-23/chapter-III/part-1300

3HSP- https://idot.illinois.gov/programs-and-projects/safety-programs/highway-safety/highway-safety-plan.html

General Traffic Safety Grants- https://idot.illinois.gov/programs-and-projects/safety-programs/safety-grants.html

Cycle Rider Safety- https://idot.illinois.gov/travel-and-maps/safety/campaigns/start-seeing-motorcycles.html

Evaluations- https://idot.illinois.gov/form-and-reports/safety-reports.html

Impaired Driving (General)- https://idot.illinois.gov/travel-and-maps/safety/campaigns/drive-sober.html

Impaired Driving Task Force- https://idot.illinois.gov/travel-and-maps/safety/campaigns/drive-sober/impaired-driving-task-force.html

Occupant Protection- https://idot.illinois.gov/travel-and-maps/safety/campaigns/buckle-up-illinois.html

Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP)- https://idot.illinois.gov/programs-and-projects/safety-programs/highway-safety/strategic-highway-safety-plan.html

TRCC (traffic records)- https://idot.illinois.gov/transportation-system/transportation-safety/roadway-safety/trcc.html