Mike Levin: “today I join Senator Voinovich in introducing the Highway Funding Equity Act of 2003. Our bill will allow States to get…”

“today I join Senator Voinovich in introducing the Highway Funding Equity Act of 2003. Our bill will allow States to get back more of what they contribute in gas taxes to the highway trust fund. We do this by increasing the Federal minimum guaranteed funding level for highways from the current 90.5 percent of a State's share of contributions made to the Federal Highway Trust Fund in gas tax payments to 95 percent. Increasing this minimum guarantee to 95 percent will bring us one step closer to achieving fairness in the distribution of Federal highway funds to States. Historically about 20 States, including Michigan, known as ``donor'' States, have sent more gas tax dollars to the Highway Trust Fund in Washington than were returned in transportation infrastructure spending. The remaining 30 States, known as ``donee'' States, have received more transportation funding than they paid into the Highway Trust Fund. This came about in 1956 when a number of small States and large Western States banded together to develop a formula to distribute Federal highway dollars that advantaged themselves over the remaining States. They formed a coalition of about 30 States that would benefit from the formula and, once that formula was in place, have tenaciously defended it.”