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Press Release: Foster Reintroduces Bipartisan Legislation to Fix Transportation Funding

May 23, 2017

Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) reintroduced legislation that would make sure states, including Illinois, receive a fair share of transportation funding through the Highway Trust Fund. The Fair Allocation of Highway Funds Act would change the way transportation funding is allocated to states. Funds are distributed from the Highway Trust Fund without considering a state's share of the transfer from the U.S. Treasury needed to make up the shortfall from the gas tax. As a result, some states receive as much as six times more funding than they contribute to the fund while others receive far less than they paid. This legislation would require that states receive credit for their contribution to the General Fund transfer.

"As a result of a flawed budgetary method, many states, including Illinois, do not receive their fair share of federal funding for transportation projects. Illinois residents deserve proper funding so we can maintain our state's roads and bridges." Foster said. "With proper funding from the federal government, we can get back to funding infrastructure Illinoisans rely on every day."

Under current law, Illinois will receive over $4.5 billion from 2018 to 2020. The Federal Highway Administration estimates that the Foster proposal would increase that amount overall by 8.86 percent, a difference of over $408 million.

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