[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 15, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H732-H733]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRANSPORTATION EMPOWERMENT ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Graves) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Madam Speaker, we're hearing a lot about 
transportation this week in the form of the transportation 
reauthorization bill. That causes us to maybe reflect back. Why are we 
reauthorizing something, and where did it originate, and what is our 
plan forward?
  In fact, this comes from decades and decades and decades ago, and 
it's a chance when we can say to ourselves: Are we on the right path? 
Is this the right path for this Congress and the future of our Nation?
  I think back to the last election cycle when the American people said 
we want to see things done just a little bit different, and I want to 
talk about that just a little bit this morning because today, when it 
comes to transportation, all States pay 18.4 cents per gallon for every 
gallon of gas they purchase. They send that to the Federal Government, 
and the Federal Government is distributing that out across the country.
  Now, a lot of people would say that comes back to our States, doesn't 
it? Well, in fact, it does not. There are 28 States in this Nation that 
send money to the Federal Government and don't get it all back, Georgia 
being one of them, along with many others throughout the country. We're 
referred to as the donor States.
  So, in addition to these 28 States not getting back all of their 
money, there are all of these mandates that occur to each and every one 
of these States. So as we can imagine, these 28 States, they want to 
get back all of their money. In fact, Georgia sent a resolution to 
Congress, and I want to read a section of it here and then submit it 
for the Record, because the Georgia General Assembly said that this 
body, meaning the Georgia General Assembly, urges the Federal 
Government to cease the collection of motor fuel taxes in Georgia so 
that the State can collect and distribute the taxes without the delay 
caused by the Federal collection and disbursement.
  So Georgia and many other States are asking for changes. They're 
asking for the Federal Government to do something just a little 
different, but yet we're entering into this debate about 
reauthorization when maybe we just need to rethink the program 
altogether.
  In Georgia, $800 million was not received by the State of Georgia. It 
was

[[Page H733]]

submitted by the taxpayers of Georgia, the hardworking Georgians 
sending money to the Federal Government, and $800 million of it was 
sent somewhere else across the country in the last reauthorization. $15 
billion from other States was sent to States outside of their 
boundaries to be spent on other projects.
  Now this program started in 1956. In 1956, when Congress was debating 
the interstate system, it was a great debate. As they debated it, they 
said, This will be a short-term tax that we're going to implement. It 
will be a tax that will be starting at 3 percent, will last for 15 
years, build an interstate system, and had a great plan to do it. There 
was a debate about it. Well, what happens when we come to the end of 
that 15-year period? Well, here is part of an exchange that occurred in 
the Ways and Means Committee when they were debating this tax. It was 
in 1956, when Congressman Boggs of Louisiana and Congressman Fallon of 
Maryland, they were discussing what would happen during this expiration 
period. In that exchange, both Congressmen agreed that at the end of 
the 15-year authorization period, ``The interstate system is built and 
paid for, and there is no obligation beyond the period of 
construction.''
  Yet here we are, 2012, so far removed from that debate, and not only 
are we at 3 cents per gallon, we are at 18.4 cents per gallon. At the 
end of that 15 years, it was actually supposed to go to 1.5 cents, but 
ever since it has always gone up. Yet here we debate about spending 
more and more and more money, and we've just learned from previous 
speakers that this isn't even going all to roads and bridges and 
highways; in fact, it's going to bike paths, planting flowers and 
bushes, walking trails, and other things. Shouldn't it be about moving 
people and freight? That's what it was always about.
  So, as we consider the reauthorization, I hope we'll consider maybe a 
reflection of a new program, a new path forward. So I'm offering an 
amendment that changes all this, that says, You know what? It's 
complete. The interstate system has reached that point of completion, 
maybe let's devolve this back to the States. Let's empower the States 
to collect their taxes, as Georgia is asking to do, spend it on their 
priorities, not deal with the red tape of Washington or the exchange 
fee that's occurring, but in fact empower the States to collect their 
taxes at the rates that they choose and spend it on the priorities that 
are most important to them. Keep it back in the home States where they 
know where the needs are.
  Instead, we're up here debating how they should spend their money and 
mandating all these hundreds of various program lines that they've got 
to spend it on.
  So we'll be offering an amendment that just changes the debate a 
little bit and causes us to reflect and refocus on where transportation 
should be as we are in the 21st century.
  So, Madam Speaker, as I close and as we move into this debate on 
reauthorization, I hope there'll be a time when this Congress remembers 
what the American people said in 2010: Let's eliminate some of this 
government and devolve it back to the States.

                         Senate Resolution 750

     By: Senators Pearson of the 51st, Mullis of the 53rd, Rogers 
     of the 21st, Hill of the 32nd, Seay of the 34th and others

     As passed:


                              A RESOLUTION

       Urging the United States Department of Transportation to 
     reconsider its mission and purpose; and for other purposes.
       Whereas, the United States Department of Transportation was 
     established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and 
     the department's first official day of operation was April 1, 
     1967; and
       Whereas, the mission of the department is to ``Serve the 
     United States by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible 
     and convenient transportation system that meets our vital 
     national interests and enhances the quality of life of the 
     American people, today and into the future.''; and
       Whereas, the main mission of the department has largely 
     been fulfilled by the completion of the federal interstate 
     highway system; and
       Whereas, state and local governments are faced with 
     difficult decisions regarding local transportation needs on a 
     continuing and ever-increasing basis; and
       Whereas, the federal motor fuel taxes charged to the 
     citizens of Georgia are needlessly sent to the federal 
     government before being returned to the state government; and
       Whereas, Georgia is a donor state and does not receive back 
     as much motor fuel tax as it collects and sends to the 
     federal government. Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the General Assembly of Georgia, That this body 
     urges making the funds collected under the federal gas tax 
     immediately available to individual states to fund their 
     transportation needs; be it further
       Resolved, That this body urges the federal government to 
     cease the collection of motor fuel taxes in Georgia so that 
     the state can collect and distribute the taxes without the 
     delay caused by federal collection and disbursement; and be 
     it further
       Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be delivered to 
     the Commissioner of the United States Department of 
     Transportation and to the congressional delegation of the 
     State of Georgia.

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