Max Baucus: “In fact, in a nutshell, we believe it is only fair to the American people that a portion of the gasoline tax that goes…”

“In fact, in a nutshell, we believe it is only fair to the American people that a portion of the gasoline tax that goes to the trust fund be allocated to the States. We took that amount, 3.45 cents, and essentially allocated it according to the provisions of the underlying bill without changing the formulas, making a couple of minor changes to accommodate some legitimate concerns of Senators. That is basically what we have done. Frankly, I cannot think of a fairer way to do it. I am also reminded there is sort of a feeling in the room, and also the feeling in the committee when we acted on this in the room where we put this together--you can tell when it's fair or not fair. Everybody was happy and felt good. It felt good. Also, in the committee, when the committee reported out this amendment, you could tell, too, it passed unanimously with Senators all around, as the Senator well knows.”