[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 58 (Wednesday, May 7, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H2258]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                SUPPORT HIGHWAY TRUST FUND FAIRNESS ACT

  (Mr. SANFORD asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. SANFORD. Mr. Speaker, ISTEA will be reauthorized this year. ISTEA 
sets the funding formula by which gas taxes are spread across our 
country, and I think with it will come the chance to make a real stand 
for the simple theme of fairness.
  Fairness is the most fundamental of all American precepts. It is the 
idea on which the Revolutionary War was built. It was the idea behind 
the Boston Tea Party. It was the idea behind the civil rights movement. 
Yet right now with our gas tax formula, we have a formula that leaves 
South Carolina losing $50 million a year, California losing over $200 
million a year, Florida losing over $200 million a year, while a 
handful of States up in the Northeast receive disproportionate amounts 
of money. That is not fair.
  The gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Largent), the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Clement), and myself have a Highway Trust Fund Fairness 
Act which would address this inequity. There are a number of other 
proposals to address this inequity. The point that I think we all need 
to remember is that it needs to be addressed and it needs to be fixed.

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