Connie Mack: “it is time we end the practice of earmarking highway projects. This practice continues to disadvantage my state, and…”

“it is time we end the practice of earmarking highway projects. This practice continues to disadvantage my state, and most others. Commonly referred to as demonstration projects, these earmarked dollars literally come off the top of the transportation funding available under this legislation. The rationale behind apportionment formulas and funding allocations is that these transportation funds are distributed according to state's needs. Notwithstanding disagreements over whether these distributions accurately reflect a state's transportation needs, the practice of authorizing demonstration projects undermines the rationale supporting the use of these formulas. Moreover, this practice literally deprives states of the funding which would otherwise be available for states' highway priorities as established by state and local transportation planners. While I believe this is a wasteful practice, history has shown there is little chance of its outright elimination.”