Highway Program Equity Guarantee Issues (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Revised June 10, 2005 |
| Report Number |
RL32409 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Robert S. Kirk, Resources, Science, and Industry Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
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Summary:
Guaranteeing each state a percentage share return of federal highway fundingon its highway user's payments to the highway account of the highway trust fund(HTF) has been the major remedy designed to assuage persistent concerns about theequity of distribution of federal highway funding (often referred to as the donordoneestate issue). Somewhat differing forms of a Minimum Guarantee (MG)program have been in place for over twenty years. Under the Transportation EquityAct for the 21st Century (TEA-21) (P.L.105-178; P.L. 105-206) the MG provided fora 90.5% guaranteed share return on each states user tax payments to the HTF.During the on-going TEA-21 reauthorization debate a number of proposals forincreasing the MG percentage have emerged. At first glance, raising the MG wouldsimply appear to require an amendment changing the percentage specified in Section105 of title 23 of the U.S.Code. A closer look shows that changing the MG hasimpacts on the interaction of highway program formulas, the funding of discretionaryand formula programs, and the total budgetary resources needed to fund theseprograms: in short, on the whole Federal-Aid Highway Program (FAHP).
