The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“TRANSPORTATION EMPOWERMENT ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H732-H733 on Feb. 15, 2012.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
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 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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