HF 3204

as introduced - 83rd Legislature (2003 - 2004) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                             A resolution
  1.2             memorializing the Congress of the United States to 
  1.3             dedicate certain revenue from motor fuel taxes to 
  1.4             highway purposes.  
  1.5      
  1.6      WHEREAS, the federal tax on gasoline is now 18.4 cents per 
  1.7   gallon and the federal tax on gasohol made with ten percent 
  1.8   ethanol is 13.2 cents per gallon; and 
  1.9      WHEREAS, of the revenue from the tax on gasohol only the 
  1.10  revenue from 10.6 cents of the tax is dedicated under federal 
  1.11  law to highways and transit assistance; and 
  1.12     WHEREAS, remaining revenue from the federal tax on gasohol 
  1.13  is now used for nontransportation purposes; and 
  1.14     WHEREAS, taxpayers in Minnesota and other states have 
  1.15  willingly paid federal motor fuel taxes that have quadrupled 
  1.16  over the past 40 years in the belief that their money was being 
  1.17  used to improve transportation; and 
  1.18     WHEREAS, use of those revenues for nontransportation 
  1.19  purposes represents a breach of faith with those taxpayers; and 
  1.20     WHEREAS, diversion of federal motor fuel tax revenues away 
  1.21  from meeting the nation's growing transportation infrastructure 
  1.22  needs represents a threat to the country's future economic 
  1.23  vitality; and 
  1.24     WHEREAS, the Minnesota Department of Transportation has 
  1.25  estimated that over the next six years transferring to the 
  2.1   Highway Trust Fund the revenue from 2.5 cents of the federal tax 
  2.2   on gasohol that now goes for nontransportation purposes would 
  2.3   produce $60,000,000 in additional federal highway aid to 
  2.4   Minnesota; NOW, THEREFORE, 
  2.5      BE IT RESOLVED that the Congress should, in legislation to 
  2.6   reauthorize the federal aid program for another six years, take 
  2.7   all necessary steps to insure that all revenues collected from 
  2.8   all federal taxes on motor fuel, including motor fuel made with 
  2.9   ethanol, be dedicated solely for transportation purposes. 
  2.10     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State of the 
  2.11  State of Minnesota is directed to prepare copies of this 
  2.12  memorial and transmit them to the President and Secretary of the 
  2.13  Senate, the Speaker and Clerk of the House of Representatives, 
  2.14  and Minnesota's Senators and Representatives in Congress.