1-1 By: Alexander (Senate Sponsor - Cain) H.C.R. No. 38 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House March 4, 1997; 1-3 March 6, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on State 1-4 Affairs; March 25, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote: 1-5 Yeas 10, Nays 0; March 25, 1997, sent to printer.) 1-6 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-7 WHEREAS, Though Texans are faced with pressing surface 1-8 transportation needs that require immediate attention and revenue 1-9 to remedy existing problems and to keep pace with growing demands, 1-10 the state continues to lose money each year under the current 1-11 federal funding formula that requires the state to contribute more 1-12 to the national Highway Trust Fund than it is apportioned back; and 1-13 WHEREAS, The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act 1-14 of 1991 (ISTEA) was created to sustain and enhance a strong 1-15 national surface transportation network through the National 1-16 Highway System and to expand other programs to ensure that states' 1-17 transportation plans are intermodal, environmentally sound, and 1-18 energy efficient; and 1-19 WHEREAS, Since its passage, however, funding provisions 1-20 contained in the ISTEA have traditionally benefited some states at 1-21 the expense of others, inflicting a heavy penalty that, in Texas 1-22 alone, has cost this state millions of dollars that could have been 1-23 used to repair and augment the Texas highway system; and 1-24 WHEREAS, The expiration of ISTEA on September 30, 1997, and 1-25 the disparity in the current apportionment of highway funds have 1-26 prompted a coalition of more than 20 states, including Texas, to 1-27 join together to develop the Streamlined Transportation Efficiency 1-28 Program for the 21st Century (STEP 21); while acknowledging the 1-29 need for a broadly focused national surface transportation policy, 1-30 the program recognizes that the surface transportation needs of 1-31 each state and region differ greatly and promotes a simplified 1-32 federal surface transportation program that would significantly 1-33 benefit mobility and the national economy while giving each state 1-34 more flexibility to respond to diverse local needs; and 1-35 WHEREAS, Currently before Congress in the form of the ISTEA 1-36 Integrity Restoration Act, the STEP 21 program seeks to revise the 1-37 apportionment adjustment formula to ensure that all states receive 1-38 at least a 95 percent return on tax payments made to the Highway 1-39 Trust Fund while continuing to provide an adequate level of funding 1-40 for states with special circumstances; it would further provide 1-41 states with more autonomy to respond to their specific state and 1-42 local transportation needs, would consolidate and streamline 1-43 various federal highway programs, and would distribute new program 1-44 funds using simplified, objective criteria; and 1-45 WHEREAS, The STEP 21 proposal would bring more Texas motor 1-46 fuels tax dollars back to the state, giving state officials greater 1-47 control over where available surface transportation funds should be 1-48 spent and providing them with the flexibility to use funds from 1-49 various sources to meet Texas' transportation needs; now, 1-50 therefore, be it 1-51 RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas 1-52 hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to 1-53 support the passage of the Streamlined Transportation Efficiency 1-54 Program for the 21st Century (STEP 21); and, be it further 1-55 RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas 1-56 hereby encourage the members of the Texas delegation of the 1-57 Congress of the United States to cosponsor the ISTEA Integrity 1-58 Restoration Act; and, be it further 1-59 RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official 1-60 copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to 1-61 the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of 1-62 the senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of 1-63 the Texas congressional delegation with the request that this 1-64 resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a 2-1 memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. 2-2 * * * * *