U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
U.S. Rep. Don Young, Chairman

 

Contacts:  Steve Hansen (Republican Communications Director)  (202) 225-7749

                 Justin Harclerode (Republican Communications Assistant)  (202) 226-8767

                 Jim Berard (Democrat Communications Director)  (202) 225-6260

 

To:  Editorial Page Editor/Transportation Reporter

February 20, 2002

 

Idaho To Receive A $29 Million Funding Restoration

For Highway Projects Under New Bipartisan Legislation;

Bill Would Save 180,000 Jobs Throughout The Nation

 

            Washington, D.C. - The State of Idaho would receive a $29 million restoration in highway funding above the Administration’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2003 under bipartisan legislation introduced in both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.

           

Idaho is scheduled to receive only $160,135,462 in highway funding in FY 2003 under the Administration’s budget - a significant decrease from the $211,278,292 Idaho received in FY 2002.

           

The new legislation would restore $29,604,560 for Idaho in FY 2003.  This increases Idaho’s highway allocation to a total of $189,740,022.

 

227 House Members Are Supporting Highway Funding Increase

Nationally, the legislation would increase highway funding by $4.4 billion over the Administration’s budget request.  The additional funding mandated in the legislation would come from the Highway Trust Fund, which is financed by the federal gas tax imposed on drivers at the gas pumps.

In addition to allowing important state highway projects to move forward, the funding in the legislation will save more than 180,000 jobs across the country.

            In the House, 74 Members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee signed on as original cosponsors of the “Highway Funding Restoration Act” (H.R. 3694).

Currently, a total of 227 of the 435 Members of the House are cosponsoring the legislation.

In the Senate, all 19 Members of the Environment and Public Works Committee are cosponsoring identical legislation (S.1917).

 

“If We Don’t Act Immediately, Every State In The Nation

Will Face A Severe Decrease In Highway Funding”

            “Republicans and Democrats from both the House and Senate transportation committees have united in this effort to restore this vital funding to improve our highways and roads, and secure jobs for 180,000 workers during this difficult economic period,” said U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

            “However, it’s imperative that Members from every state in the nation immediately join us in this effort or all 50 states will suffer cancellations and delays of their highway projects and a major loss of jobs.

“Our approach is a reasonable, fiscally-responsible one,” Chairman Young said.  “This funding increase will not cost other programs one dollar.  All of the funds will come from the Highway Trust Fund, which currently has a surplus of more than $18 billion.”

 

“This Legislation Will Benefit Every State In The Union”

“As Secretary Mineta once observed, there are no Republican roads or Democratic roads, just American roads.  The issue of sufficient investment in our transportation infrastructure is not a Democratic issue nor is it a Republican issue, it is a national issue,” said U.S. Rep. James L. Oberstar (D-MN), the Ranking Democrat on the Transportation committee.  “This legislation will benefit every state in the union. It will save jobs - good, family-wage jobs - and create new ones.  It will make a significant investment in our future.”

 

How “The Transportation Equity Act” Helps Each State

The legislation amends the Transportation Equity Act of the 21^st Century (TEA 21) which sets highway program funding at $27.746 billion in FY 2003.  This level restores $4.4 billion to the Administration’s proposed highway funding budget.  This restoration brings the highway program back up to the level that was anticipated when became law in 1998. The bill also ensures that the money is distributed as required in TEA 21 - insuring that all 50 states receive the proper share as provided in the formula. 

Each year the highway funding levels authorized by TEA 21 are adjusted.  This process is known as a “RABA” adjustment which seeks to equalize revenues and expenditures from the Highway Trust Fund.  In spite of RABA, the Highway Trust Fund has accumulated an $18 billion balance.

The FY 2003 highway funding levels in the President’s budget represent a cut of more than $8 billion from 2002 levels, and are about $4.5 billion less than the levels written into TEA 21.  This funding restoration translates into 180,000 family-wage jobs across the nation.

 

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