News & Events

U.S. House of Representatives Restore $8 Billion To Highway Trust Fund

A bill to help prevent a shortfall in transportation funding won overwhelming approval Wednesday, July 23, in the U.S. House of Representatives. The final vote total was 387-37.  Two of the “No” votes came from the Georgia delegation.

Dedicated to maintaining and improving U.S. highways and transit systems, the trust fund is on track to run out of money within a year. The Highway Trust Fund Restoration Act (H.R. 6532) aims to restore $8 billion from the General Fund to the Highway Trust Fund, which currently depends on gasoline and diesel fuel taxes.

The bipartisan bill will restore $8 billion in highway user-fee revenue that was taken from the trust fund in 1998.  The bill was designed to ensure that the trust fund remains solvent through the current authorization period, which ends on Sept. 30. The bill now goes to the Senate. 

If the bill does not pass the Senate, it will have a disastrous impact on transportation projects across the country and cost up to 380,000 family-wage jobs, the bill’s supporters say.

Georgia Representatives that voted “YES” (to approve) on the bill included:
Lynn Westmoreland, [R], 3rd District
Hank Johnson, [D], 4th District
John Lewis, [D], 5 District
Tom Price, [R], 6th District
John Linder, [R], 7th District
Jim Marshall, [D], 8th District
Nathan Deal, [R], 9th District
Phil Gingrey, [R], 11th District
John Barrow, [D], 12th District
David Scott, [D], 13th District

Georgia Representatives that voted against (“NO”) the bill were:
Jack Kingston, [R], 1st District

Paul Broun, [R], 10th District

Representative Sanford Bishop ([D],2nd District) did not vote either way and registered a “no vote” for the bill.

In response to concerns that the Trust Fund balance was too high, Congress transferred $8 billion from the Trust Fund to the General Fund in 1998. But now, as soaring gas prices prompt people to drive less, and as cars become more fuel-efficient, less money is coming into the Trust Fund.