0001|                       HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 73
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0002|     43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
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0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
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0004|                           DANIEL P. SILVA
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0005|     
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0006|                                   
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0007|     
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0008|     
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0009|     
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0010|                           A JOINT MEMORIAL
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0011|     URGING THE MEMBERS OF THE NEW MEXICO CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION
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0012|     TO SUPPORT THE PASSAGE OF FEDERAL LEGISLATION TO AUTHORIZE THE
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0013|     USE OF THE FOUR AND THREE-TENTHS CENT ($.043) FEDERAL GASOLINE
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0014|     TAX REVENUES IN THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY TRUST FUND FOR HIGHWAY
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0015|     INFRASTRUCTURE.
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0016|     
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0017|          WHEREAS, in 1990 the United States congress began
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0018|     diverting highway taxes for general revenue purposes,
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0019|     including the four and three-tenths cent ($.043) per gallon
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0020|     federal gasoline tax enacted in 1993; and
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0021|          WHEREAS, in the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, the United
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0022|     States congress provided for deposit of all federal highway
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0023|     taxes into the federal highway trust fund; and
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0024|          WHEREAS, currently the United States congress has not
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0025|     authorized the use of the four and three-tenths cent ($.043)
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0001|     federal gasoline tax revenues in the federal highway trust
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0002|     fund for use by the states for highway and transportation
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0003|     infrastructure; and
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0004|          WHEREAS, a bipartisan amendment proposed by Senators
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0005|     Robert Byrd, Phil Gramm, John Warner and Max Baucus to the
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0006|     Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act renewal
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0007|     legislation in the United States senate would increase highway
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0008|     authorizations by thirty billion dollars ($30,000,000,000)
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0009|     over the next five years; and
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0010|          WHEREAS, this money could be available for obligation by
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0011|     the states beginning in fiscal year 1999, and New Mexico's
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0012|     increased obligation authority is estimated to be at least two
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0013|     hundred million dollars ($200,000,000) for fiscal years 1999
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0014|     through 2003; and
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0015|          WHEREAS, funding from that amount of additional federal
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0016|     obligation authority would enable New Mexico to finance the
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0017|     construction and improvement of a number of critical highway
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0018|     projects throughout the state;
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0019|          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE
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0020|     STATE OF NEW MEXICO that it urge the members of the New Mexico
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0021|     congressional delegation to support the passage of federal
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0022|     legislation to make available to states for highway and
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0023|     transportation infrastructure the revenue from the four and
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0024|     three-tenths cent ($.043) federal gasoline tax; and
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0025|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be
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0001|     transmitted to each member of the New Mexico congressional
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0002|     delegation.
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0003|                                  
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0004|     
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0005|     
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0006|          
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