# Highway Formula Fairness Act: Plain Language Summary

Right now, the federal government distributes highway funding to states using a formula that was set up years ago. This bill changes how that money gets divided up, trying to make the system fairer based on how much each state actually contributes to highway funding. Specifically, it says that starting in 2022, states should receive highway money based partly on how much their drivers pay in gas taxes and other highway-related fees that go into the federal Highway Trust Fund.

The bill creates a safety net to protect states from losing too much funding. Under the new system, no state can receive less than 95 percent of what it would get based on its share of highway user taxes. Here's what that means in practical terms: if your state's drivers contribute 3 percent of all the gas taxes and highway fees collected nationally, your state should get roughly 3 percent of the federal highway money being distributed. But if the math works out to give your state less than 95 percent of that fair share, the bill guarantees the government will top it up to that 95 percent level.

This change primarily affects how states like Texas (where the bill's sponsors are from) and other states that contribute more in highway taxes might receive more federal funding, while states that contribute less might receive less. The practical impact depends on where you live. If you live in a state with high gas tax contributions relative to its population, your state might get more money for road repairs, highway improvements, and transportation projects. If you live in a state that receives more federal highway money than its drivers contribute in taxes, your state might see less federal funding available for road projects, though the 95 percent floor means the cuts won't be dramatic.

Highway Formula Fairness Act

Highway Formula Fairness Act This bill modifies the formula that the Department of Transportation uses to apportion federal highway funds among the states for the national highway performance program, the surface transportation block grant program, the highway safety improvement program, the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program, the national highway freight program, and metropolitan transportation planning.