I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3113
To empower States with authority for most taxing and spending for highway 
programs and mass transit programs, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 17, 2003
Mr. FLAKE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee 
on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To empower States with authority for most taxing and 
spending for highway programs and mass transit pro-
grams, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Transportation Em-
powerment Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—
(1) the objective of the Federal highway pro-
gram has been to facilitate the construction of a 
modern freeway system that promotes efficient inter-
state commerce by connecting all States; 
(2) that objective has been attained, and the 
Interstate System connecting all States is near com-
pletion; 
(3) today, surface transportation problems are 
increasingly local and regional; 
(4) each State, not a central bureaucracy, can 
better fulfill the responsibility of providing an effi-
cient transportation network for the residents of the 
State; 
(5) each State has the means to build and oper-
ate a network of transportation systems, including 
highways, that best serves the needs of the State; 
(6) each State is best capable of determining 
the needs of the State and acting on those needs; 
(7) the Federal role in highway transportation 
has, over time, usurped the role of the States by tax-
ing fuels used in the States and then distributing 
the proceeds to the States based on the Federal 
Government’s perceptions of what is best for the 
States;
(8) the Federal Government has used the Fed-
eral gasoline tax revenues to force all States to take 
actions that are not necessarily appropriate for indi-
vidual States; 
(9) the Federal distribution, review, and en-
forcement process wastes billions of dollars on un-
productive activities; 
(10) the Federal distribution is inequitable and 
biased against certain regions; 
(11) Federal mandates that apply uniformly to 
all 50 States, regardless of the different cir-
cumstances of the States, cause the States to waste 
billions of hard-earned tax dollars on projects, pro-
grams, and activities that the States would not oth-
erwise undertake; and 
(12) Congress has expressed a strong interest 
in reducing the role of the Federal Government by 
allowing each State to manage its own affairs. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to return to the individual States maximum 
discretionary authority and fiscal responsibility for 
all elements of the national surface transportation 
systems that are not within the direct purview of the 
Federal Government;
(2) to preserve Federal responsibility for the 
Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Inter-
state and Defense Highways; 
(3) to preserve the responsibility of the Depart-
ment of Transportation for—
(A) design, construction, and preservation 
of transportation facilities on Federal public 
land; 
(B) national programs of transportation 
safety research and development; and 
(C) emergency assistance to the States in 
response to natural disasters; 
(4) to eliminate to the maximum extent prac-
ticable Federal obstacles to the ability of each State 
to apply innovative solutions to the financing, de-
sign, construction, operation, and preservation of 
Federal and State transportation facilities; and 
(5) with respect to transportation activities car-
ried out by States, local governments, and the pri-
vate sector, to encourage—
(A) competition among States, local gov-
ernments, and the private sector; and 
(B) innovation, energy efficiency, private 
sector participation, and productivity.
SEC. 3. CONTINUATION OF FUNDING FOR ESSENTIAL HIGH-
WAY PROGRAMS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—
(1) FUNDING.—For the purpose of carrying out 
title 23, United States Code, the following sums are 
authorized to be appropriated out of the Highway 
Trust Fund: 
(A) 
INTERSTATE
MAINTENANCE
PRO-
GRAM.—For the Interstate maintenance pro-
gram under section 119 of title 23, United 
States Code, $5,600,000,000 for fiscal year 
2004, $5,700,000,000 for fiscal year 2005, 
$5,800,000,000 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2006, 
$5,900,000,000 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2007, 
$6,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, and 
$6,100,000,000 for fiscal year 2009. 
(B) INTERSTATE
AND
INDIAN
RESERVA-
TION
BRIDGE
PROGRAM.—For the Interstate 
and Indian reservation bridge program under 
section 144 of that title $1,500,000,000 for fis-
cal year 2004, $1,600,000,000 for fiscal year 
2005, $1,700,000,000 for fiscal year 2006, 
$1,800,000,000 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2007, 
$1,900,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, and 
$2,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2009.
(C) FEDERAL
LANDS
HIGHWAYS
PRO-
GRAM.—
(i) INDIAN
RESERVATION
ROADS.—
For Indian reservation roads under section 
204 of that title $300,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2004 through 2009. 
(ii) PUBLIC LANDS HIGHWAYS.—For 
public lands highways under section 204 of 
that title $275,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2004 through 2009. 
(iii) PARKWAYS AND PARK ROADS.—
For parkways and park roads under sec-
tion 204 of that title $200,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2004 through 2009. 
(D) HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAMS.—
(i) IN GENERAL.—For highway safety 
programs under section 402 of that title 
$170,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004 
through 2009. 
(ii) HIGHWAY SAFETY RESEARCH AND 
DEVELOPMENT.—For highway safety re-
search and development under section 403 
of that title $30,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2004 through 2009.
(E) TRANSPORTATION
RESEARCH
PRO-
GRAMS.—
(i) SURFACE
TRANSPORTATION
RE-
SEARCH.—For 
cooperative 
agreements 
with nonprofit research organizations to 
carry out research under section 502 of 
that title $150,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2004 through 2009. 
(ii) ITS RESEARCH
AND
DEVELOP-
MENT.—For carrying out section 5207 of 
the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st 
Century (23 U.S.C. 502 note; 112 Stat. 
457) $220,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2004 through 2009, of which—
(I) $110,000,000 for each fiscal 
year shall be made available for re-
search; and 
(II) $110,000,000 for each fiscal 
year shall be made available for devel-
opment and operational tests. 
(iii) UNIVERSITY
TRANSPORTATION 
RESEARCH.—For 
carrying 
out 
section 
5505 of title 49, United States Code, 
$20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004 
through 2009.
(2) TRANSFERABILITY OF FUNDS.—Section 104 
of title 23, United States Code, is amended by strik-
ing subsection (g) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(g) TRANSFERABILITY OF FUNDS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To the extent that a State 
determines that funds made available under this title 
to the State for a purpose are in excess of the needs 
of the State for that purpose, the State may transfer 
the excess funds to, and use the excess funds for, 
any surface transportation (including mass transit 
and rail) purpose in the State. 
‘‘(2) ENFORCEMENT.—If the Secretary deter-
mines that a State has transferred funds under 
paragraph (1) to a purpose that is not a surface 
transportation purpose as described in paragraph 
(1), the amount of the improperly transferred funds 
shall be deducted from any amount the State would 
otherwise receive from the Highway Trust Fund for 
the fiscal year that begins after the date of the de-
termination.’’. 
(3) FEDERAL-AID SYSTEM.—Section 103(a) of 
title 23, United States Code, is amended by striking 
‘‘systems are the Interstate System and the National 
Highway System’’ and inserting ‘‘system is the 
Interstate System’’.
(4) INTERSTATE
MAINTENANCE
PROGRAM.—
Section 104(b) of title 23, United States Code, is 
amended by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(4) 
INTERSTATE
MAINTENANCE
COMPO-
NENT.—For each of fiscal years 2004 through 2009, 
for the Interstate maintenance program under sec-
tion 119, 1 percent to the Virgin Islands, Guam, 
American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands and the remaining 99 
percent apportioned as follows: 
‘‘(A)(i) For each State with an average 
population density of 20 persons or fewer per 
square mile, and each State with a population 
of 1,500,000 persons or fewer and with a land 
area of 10,000 square miles or less, the greater 
of—
‘‘(I) a percentage share of apportion-
ments equal to the percentage listed for 
the State in clause (ii); or 
‘‘(II) a share determined under sub-
paragraph (B). 
‘‘(ii) The percentage referred to in clause 
(i)(I) is as follows:
‘‘States: 
Percentage: 
Alabama ............................................................................................. 2.0269
Alaska ................................................................................................ 1.1915
‘‘States: 
Percentage: 
Arizona ............................................................................................... 1.5581
Arkansas ............................................................................................ 1.3214
California ........................................................................................... 9.1962
Colorado ............................................................................................. 1.1673
Connecticut ........................................................................................ 1.5186
Delaware ............................................................................................ 0.4424
District of Columbia .......................................................................... 0.3956
Florida ............................................................................................... 4.6176
Georgia ............................................................................................... 3.5104
Hawaii ................................................................................................ 0.5177
Idaho .................................................................................................. 0.7718
Illinois ................................................................................................ 3.3819
Indiana ............................................................................................... 2.3588
Iowa .................................................................................................... 1.2020
Kansas ............................................................................................... 1.1717
Kentucky ............................................................................................ 1.7365
Louisiana ........................................................................................... 1.5900
Maine ................................................................................................. 0.5263
Maryland ............................................................................................ 1.5087
Massachusetts .................................................................................... 1.8638
Michigan ............................................................................................. 3.1535
Minnesota ........................................................................................... 1.4993
Mississippi .......................................................................................... 1.2186
Missouri ............................................................................................. 2.3615
Montana ............................................................................................. 0.9929
Nebraska ............................................................................................ 0.7768
Nevada ............................................................................................... 0.7248
New Hampshire ................................................................................. 0.5163
New Jersey ......................................................................................... 2.5816
New Mexico ........................................................................................ 0.9884
New York ........................................................................................... 5.1628
North Carolina ................................................................................... 2.8298
North Dakota ..................................................................................... 0.6553
Ohio .................................................................................................... 3.4257
Oklahoma ........................................................................................... 1.5419
Oregon ................................................................................................ 1.2183
Pennsylvania ...................................................................................... 4.9887
Puerto Rico ........................................................................................ 0.5000
Rhode Island ...................................................................................... 0.5958
South Carolina ................................................................................... 1.5910
South Dakota ..................................................................................... 0.7149
Tennessee ........................................................................................... 2.2646
Texas .................................................................................................. 7.2131
Utah ................................................................................................... 0.7831
Vermont ............................................................................................. 0.4573
Virginia .............................................................................................. 2.5627
Washington ........................................................................................ 1.7875
West Virginia ..................................................................................... 1.1319
Wisconsin ........................................................................................... 1.9916
Wyoming ............................................................................................ 0.6951.
‘‘(B) For each State not described in sub-
paragraph (A), a share of the apportionments
remaining determined in accordance with the 
following formula: 
‘‘(i) 1⁄9 in the ratio that the total rural 
lane miles in each State bears to the total 
rural lane miles in all States with an aver-
age population density greater than 20 
persons per square mile and all States with 
a population of more than 1,500,000 per-
sons and with a land area of more than 
10,000 square miles. 
‘‘(ii) 1⁄9 in the ratio that the total 
rural vehicle miles traveled in each State 
bears to the total rural vehicle miles trav-
eled in all States described in clause (i). 
‘‘(iii) 2⁄9 in the ratio that the total 
urban lane miles in each State bears to the 
total urban lane miles in all States de-
scribed in clause (i). 
‘‘(iv) 2⁄9 in the ratio that the total 
urban vehicle miles traveled in each State 
bears to the total urban vehicle miles trav-
eled in all States described in clause (i). 
‘‘(v) 3⁄9 in the ratio that the total die-
sel fuel used in each State bears to the
total diesel fuel used in all States described 
in clause (i).’’. 
(5) INTERSTATE
BRIDGE
PROGRAM.—Section 
144 of title 23, United States Code, is amended—
(A) in subsection (d)—
(i) by inserting ‘‘on the Federal-aid 
system or described in subsection (c)(3)’’ 
after ‘‘highway bridge’’ each place it ap-
pears; and 
(ii) by inserting ‘‘on the Federal-aid 
system or described in subsection (c)(3)’’ 
after ‘‘highway bridges’’ each place it ap-
pears; 
(B) in the second sentence of subsection 
(e)—
(i) in paragraph (1), by adding ‘‘and’’ 
at the end; 
(ii) in paragraph (2), by striking the 
comma at the end and inserting a period; 
and 
(iii) by striking paragraphs (3) and 
(4); 
(C) in the first sentence of subsection (l), 
by inserting ‘‘on the Federal-aid system or de-
scribed in subsection (c)(3)’’ after ‘‘any 
bridge’’; 
(D) in subsection (m)(1), by inserting ‘‘on 
the Federal-aid system or described in sub-
section (c)(3)’’ after ‘‘construct any bridge’’; 
and 
(E) in the first sentence of subsection (n), 
by inserting ‘‘for each of fiscal years 2004 
through 2009,’’ after ‘‘of law,’’. 
(6) NATIONAL
DEFENSE
HIGHWAYS.—Section 
311 of title 23, United States Code, is amended—
(A) in the first sentence, by striking 
‘‘under subsection (a) of section 104 of this 
title’’ and inserting ‘‘to carry out this section’’; 
and 
(B) by striking the second sentence. 
(7) MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY GRANTS.—Section 
31104(a) of title 49, United States Code, is amend-
ed by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(6) Not more than $110,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2004 through 2009.’’. 
(b) 
EXPENDITURES
FROM
HIGHWAY
TRUST 
FUND.—
(1) EXPENDITURES
FOR
ESSENTIAL
PRO-
GRAMS.—Section 9503(c) of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986 (relating to expenditures from High-
way Trust Fund) is amended—
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘October 
1, 2003’’ each place it appears and inserting 
‘‘October 1, 2009’’; 
(B) in paragraphs (2)(A)(i)(III), (2)(A)(ii), 
(4)(A)(i), and (5)(A), by striking ‘‘October 1, 
2005’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘Oc-
tober 1, 2009’’; 
(C) in paragraph (1)—
(i) in subparagraph (D), by striking 
‘‘or’’ at the end; 
(ii) in subparagraph (E), by striking 
the period and inserting ‘‘, or’’; 
(iii) by inserting after subparagraph 
(E) the following: 
‘‘(F) authorized to be paid out of the 
Highway Trust Fund under the Transportation 
Empowerment Act.’’; and 
(iv) by striking the last sentence and 
inserting the following new flush sentence: 
‘‘In determining the authorizations under the Acts 
referred to in the preceding subparagraphs, such 
Acts shall be applied as in effect on the date of en-
actment of the Transportation Empowerment Act.’’; 
and 
(D) in paragraphs (2)(A)(i) and (3), by 
striking ‘‘July 1, 2006’’ each place it appears 
and inserting ‘‘July 1, 2009’’. 
(2) AMOUNTS AVAILABLE FOR ESSENTIAL PRO-
GRAM EXPENDITURES.—Section 9503 of such Code 
(relating to the Highway Trust Fund) is amended 
by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(g) ESSENTIAL PROGRAMS FINANCING RATE.—For 
purposes of this section—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), in the case of gasoline, special motor 
fuels, kerosene, and diesel fuel, the essential pro-
grams financing rate is—
‘‘(A) after September 30, 2003, and before 
October 1, 2004, so much of the rate of the 
taxes described in subparagraphs (A) and (D) 
of subsection (b)(1) transferred to the Highway 
Trust Fund as does not exceed 16.3 cents per 
gallon,
‘‘(B) after September 30, 2004, and before 
October 1, 2005, so much of the rate of such 
taxes as does not exceed 11.3 cents per gallon,
‘‘(C) after September 30, 2005, and before 
October 1, 2006, so much of the rate of such 
taxes as does not exceed 8.3 cents per gallon, 
‘‘(D) after September 30, 2006, and before 
October 1, 2007, so much of the rate of such 
taxes as does not exceed 7.3 cents per gallon, 
and 
‘‘(E) after September 30, 2007, the rate of 
such taxes. 
‘‘(2) APPLICATION OF RATE.—In the case of 
fuels used as described in paragraph (4)(D) and 
(5)(B) of subsection (c), the essential programs fi-
nancing rate is zero.’’. 
(c) TERMINATION OF TRANSFERS TO MASS TRANSIT 
ACCOUNT.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Section 9503(e)(2) of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to Mass 
Transit Account) is amended by striking ‘‘2 cents’’ 
and inserting ‘‘2 cents (zero, after September 30, 
2003)’’. 
(2) AUTHORIZATION
TO
EXPEND
REMAINING 
BALANCES IN ACCOUNT.—Section 9503(e)(3) of such 
Code is amended by striking ‘‘before October 1, 
1997’’.