Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I want to speak for a moment about an important issue that is going to be addressed on the highway bill. I have an…”

“I want to speak for a moment about an important issue that is going to be addressed on the highway bill. I have an amendment that would basically say you cannot toll a Federal highway unless it is for the production of another free lane. This is an effort to curb a State from tolling every lane of a highway that has been built with Federal dollars by Federal taxpayers. When President Eisenhower established the National Highway System, it was on behalf of national security that he made this monumental policy decision which has taken us years, tens of years to complete. It has had the added advantage of commerce--having a National Highway System where all of our States are connected with good quality Federal highways has been a huge boon for our country. That has been funded through highway user fees. The gasoline tax that everyone pays at the pump in our country has funded our Federal highway system. However, the Federal highway system has now been completed. For a State to come in and toll every lane of an existing Federal highway is not only disingenuous, but it breaks faith with the Federal taxpayers who, for over 50 years, have paid into the highway trust fund so we would have a Federal highway system for all Americans and for the commerce among our States for them to use. Now, we have three States that have been approved by the Department of Transportation to do exactly what I wish to prohibit--toll lanes of an existing Federal highway.…”