Washington, D.C.--Sixth District U.S. Congressman Frank Lucas supported passage yesterday of a measure that would increase the amount of money Oklahoma gets back on every tax dollar it sends to the U.S. Highway Trust Fund. Oklahoma has long been a "donor state" receiving only 80 cents back on every fuel tax dollar it pays to the federal government to build highways in our country. Oklahoma will now receive, on average for the next six years, approximately $420 million per year, instead of the previous $260 million in transportation dollars it received annually.

"H.R. 2400 will take the Highway Trust Fund off budget, meaning the fund will not be used to help balance our nation's budget as it has been used in the past," Lucas said. "Every time we Oklahomans have gone to the gas pumps and paid that 18 cents fuel tax, all of those dollars have not been used on transportation infrastructure improvements for our state or even our nation.

"Instead, our fuel tax dollars have been used to help balance our federal books thus tying up dollars that are supposed to be earmarked for improving our nation's and our state's roads," Lucas continued. "This bill will make the balanced budget process more honest and help us repair the poor condition of our nation's highways.

"Representative Bud Schuster, Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, pointed out on the floor of the House yesterday that the number of deaths caused by bad roads equals the number of individuals who would be killed if a commercial airliner crashed in this country every day," Lucas said. "That is absolutely unacceptable."

"Oklahoma will now receive 90 cents on the dollar for the next six years under the combination of formula programs and demonstration projects set up in this transportation bill," Lucas said. "The allocation of that money every year will be left to the discretion of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and other state and community leaders, keeping decision making for Oklahoma in Oklahoma.

"I, and the other members of the Oklahoma Delegation, will continue to work for dollar to dollar matching on Oklahoma's fuel tax contributions to the Fund, as I am not yet satisfied with 90 cents," Lucas concluded.

H.R. 2400, the "Building Efficient Surface Transportation and Equity Act of 1997 (BESTEA)," passed the House by an overwhelming vote of 337-80.