I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1701
To amend title 23, United States Code, to provide a minimum allocation
of highway funds for States that have low population densities and
comprise large geographic areas.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 21, 1997
Mr. THUNE (for himself, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. HILL, and Mrs. CUBIN)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure
A BILL
To amend title 23, United States Code, to provide a mini-
mum allocation of highway funds for States that have
low population densities and comprise large geographic
areas.
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 ‘‘National Interests in
Rural Highways Act of 1997’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that—
(1) a national surface transportation system
that includes a national network of highways and
that provides for efficient and safe interstate travel
in every State is vital to the economic and social
well-being of the United States;
(2) Federal policy for allocating resources to
maintain an efficient and safe national surface
transportation system should reflect the unique
needs and circumstances of each State’s ability to
participate in the transportation system;
(3) low-density States that comprise large geo-
graphic land areas—
(A) bear unique financial burdens in main-
taining their share of the national surface
transportation system; and
(B) typically support higher per-mile costs
of maintaining highways and contribute more
per capita to the Highway Trust Fund than
other States;
(4) many rural States have to maintain large
highway systems, which provide interstate access be-
tween major population centers, but have small local
populations to support their highways;
(5) since the approval and implementation of
the North American Free Trade Agreement, many
rural States along the northern border of the United
States have experienced increased use of, and de-
mands on, their share of the national surface trans-
portation system due to increased international
trade activities;
(6) Federal funding for surface transportation
should include adjustments that reflect reasonable
and appropriate resource allocations to ensure that
rural, low-density States that comprise large geo-
graphic land areas can adequately participate in the
national surface transportation system; and
(7) contributions from all States permit the
Federal Government to provide support for essential
intermodal national priorities, such as a national
system of highways, mass transit, maritime activi-
ties, airports and air service, and passenger rail
service.
SEC. 3. MINIMUM HIGHWAY FUNDING ALLOCATION FOR
CERTAIN TYPES OF STATES.
Section 157(a)(4) of title 23, United States Code, is
amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘In fiscal’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In fiscal’’; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(B) LOW-DENSITY, LARGE-GEOGRAPHIC-
AREA STATES.—
‘‘(i) 
DEFINITION
OF
ELIGIBLE
STATE.—In this subparagraph, the term
‘eligible State’ means a State that—
‘‘(I) has a population density of
less than 25 individuals per square
mile; and
‘‘(II) comprises a land area of
10,000 square miles or more.
‘‘(ii) 
HISTORICAL
APPORTION-
MENTS.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, for fiscal year 1998 and each
fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary shall
increase the amount of funds that, but for
this clause, would be apportioned to an eli-
gible State under section 104(b)(3) so that
each eligible State receives not less of the
apportioned and allocated funds described
in section 1015(a)(1) of the Intermodal
Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of
1991 (23 U.S.C. 104 note; 105 Stat.
1943) (as in effect on October 1, 1996)
than the percentage listed for the State in
section 1015(a)(2) of that Act (as in effect
on October 1, 1996).
‘‘(iii) 
SET-ASIDE.—Notwithstanding
any other provision of law, on October 1 of
fiscal year 1998 and each fiscal year there-
after, the Secretary shall—
‘‘(I) before making any funds
available out of the Highway Trust
Fund (other than the Mass Transit
Account) for the fiscal year, set aside
from the amounts authorized to be
appropriated out of the Highway
Trust Fund (other than the Mass
Transit Account) for the fiscal year
an amount equal to 1.25 percent of
the funds that were made available
out of the Highway Trust Fund
(other than the Mass Transit Ac-
count) for the preceding fiscal year;
‘‘(II) after making any increase
for an eligible State necessary to carry
out clause (ii), allocate 50 percent of
the amount set aside under subclause
(I) among eligible States in the ratio
that—
‘‘(aa) the number of miles of
highways on the National High-
way System in the eligible State;
bears to
‘‘(bb) the number of miles of
highways on the National High-
way System in all eligible States;
and
‘‘(III) after making any increase
for an eligible State necessary to carry
out clause (ii), allocate 50 percent of
the amount set aside under subclause
(I) among eligible States in the ratio
that—
‘‘(aa) the number of vehicle
miles traveled on the National
Highway System in the eligible
State during the latest 1-year-pe-
riod for which data are available;
bears to
‘‘(bb) the number of vehicle
miles traveled on the National
Highway System in all eligible
States during the latest 1-year-
period for which data are avail-
able.’’.
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