1975 Scorecard Vote
Federal Aid Highway Program (H.R. 8235). The vote is on the Harsha amendment to pressure cities into building unwanted interstate highways by penalizing interstate transfers. The Highway Program had authorized cities with polluted air and congested streets to turn in money for their interstate highways and receive comparable funds for a mass transit system. But the Harsha amendments would penalize cities not wishing to build highways by returning only enough funds to pay for a transit system based on antiquated 1972 estimates. Furthermore, any state using an interstate transfer would have to return every cent it received to the federal government from the sale of the highway right-of-way. Finally, that state would lose its apportioned interstate mileage to other states where it could be used to build additional highways. Because under the highway trust fund only $800 million could be used for mass transit, many cities had hoped to collect additional funds through this interstate transfer system. Rejected 122-294. December 18, 1975. ÒNOÓ is the correct vote.
pro-environment position