H-3346 _______________________________________________
HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 4028
_______________________________________________
State of Washington 50th Legislature 1987 First Special Session
By Representatives Schmidt and Walk
Read first time 5/13/87.
TO THE HONORABLE RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:
We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:
WHEREAS, The State of Washington, and its cities and counties, rely heavily on state and federal user fee revenues to build and maintain a system of highways, roads, and streets as well as the state ferry system; and
WHEREAS, The National Conference of State Legislatures fully supports the "user fee" concept which has directed fuel and transportation-based taxes to our nation's highway and transportation facilities for over 80 years; and
WHEREAS, The establishment of the federal Highway Trust Fund in 1956 confirmed this relationship between fees collected from highway users and the subsequent dedication of these revenues to meet state transportation construction and rehabilitation needs; and
WHEREAS, In 1982 the federal fuel tax was increased to 9 cents per gallon, all of which is earmarked for transportation expenditures; and
WHEREAS, This federal tax increase was accepted by the states as part of a partnership to develop the nation's transportation network; and
WHEREAS, The ensuing delays and reductions in the apportionments of Highway Trust Fund moneys to the states have jeopardized this federal-state relationship; and
WHEREAS, During 1986, 27 states considered legislation to change their motor fuel tax structure in an effort to supplement dwindling federal highway funds; and
WHEREAS, Efforts currently underway in Congress to increase federal fuel taxes to reduce the federal deficit is an unwarranted diversion of a traditional revenue source for transportation programs;
NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully declare that efforts currently underway by the United States Congress to increase federal fuel taxes to reduce the federal deficit is an unwarranted diversion of a traditional revenue source for transportation programs; and
Your Memorialists further respectfully and strongly oppose any efforts to increase the current fuel tax for deposit into the General Fund, and any effort to increase such taxes at all in the absence of full expenditure of current Highway Trust Fund receipts.
BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.