Skip to main content
CivicGate

S 3972
Introduced Re-checks Congress.gov for new actions and updates the bill's status, and fills in any sponsors, committees, or related bills that are missing. It does not re-pull sponsors/cosponsors/committees/related — those rarely change — and it skips all work if nothing has changed upstream, so it's cheap to click.

Highway Formula Fairness Act

To modify a provision relating to adjustments of certain State apportionments for Federal highway programs, and for other purposes.

Introduced Mar 3, 2026

Latest action (Mar 3, 2026) Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Referred to
Environment and Public Works Committee
Policy area
Transportation and Public Works
Issues
Climate & Energy

Summary
  • Modifies the formula for calculating state highway funding apportionments starting in fiscal year 2027, using fiscal year 2012 apportionments as the baseline for initial amounts.
  • Ensures each state receives at least 95 percent of its applicable percentage, determined by that state's highway tax contributions to the Highway Trust Fund as a proportion of total highway tax contributions.
  • Applies to multiple federal highway programs including highway performance, surface transportation block grants, highway safety, congestion mitigation, freight, and carbon reduction programs.
  • Requires the Secretary to apportion funds on October 1 each fiscal year in accordance with the new formula.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)
3 cosponsors

Money behind the sponsor

Top reported contributors to Ted Cruz’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.

  • Employer not reported $4,424,745
  • ENTREPRENEUR $458,096
  • RDV CORPORATION $39,600
  • AMERICAN AIRLINES $29,632
  • BLACKSTONE $27,400

Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Ted Cruz → · Outside spending →

Actions (2)
  1. Mar 3, 2026 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. · senate
  2. Mar 3, 2026 Introduced in Senate

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

  • HR 7776 — Highway Formula Fairness Act · Introduced Mar 4, 2026 · Cong. 119 87%
  • S 3786 — Balance the Highway Trust Fund Act · Introduced Feb 5, 2026 · Cong. 119 76%
  • HR 8348 — To amend title 23, United States Code, with respect to the amounts States are guaranteed under the highway apportionment formula, and for other purposes. · Introduced Apr 16, 2026 · Cong. 119 73%
  • HR 3030 — Highway Formula Fairness Act · Introduced Apr 28, 2025 · Cong. 119 71%
  • S 1072 — Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2004 · Passed Senate May 19, 2004 · Cong. 108 70%
  • HR 6671 — REPAIR Infrastructure Act · Introduced Feb 2, 2026 · Cong. 119 69%

Text versions (1)
  • Introduced in Senate · Mar 3, 2026

Only one text version is on file, so there’s no earlier version to compare against yet.

Full text

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

March 3, 2026

Mr. Cruz (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Kelly, and Mr. Gallego) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

A BILL

To modify a provision relating to adjustments of certain State apportionments for Federal highway programs, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Highway Formula Fairness Act”.

SEC. 2. ADJUSTMENTS TO CERTAIN STATE APPORTIONMENT AMOUNTS.

Section 104 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:

“(c) Calculation of Amounts.—

“(1) State share.—For fiscal year 2027 and each fiscal year thereafter, the amount for each State of combined apportionments for the national highway performance program under section 119, the surface transportation block grant program under section 133, the highway safety improvement program under section 148, the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program under section 149, the national highway freight program under section 167, the carbon reduction program under section 175, to carry out subsection (c) of the PROTECT program under section 176, and to carry out section 134 shall be determined as follows:

“(A) Initial amount.—The initial amount for each State shall be determined by multiplying the total amount available for apportionment by the share for each State, which shall be equal to the proportion that—

“(i) the amount of apportionments that the State received for fiscal year 2012; bears to

“(ii) the amount of those apportionments received by all States for that fiscal year.

“(B) Adjustments to amounts.—

“(i) In general.—The initial amounts resulting from the calculation under subparagraph (A) shall be adjusted to ensure that, for each State, the amount of combined apportionments for the programs shall not be less than an amount equal to—

“(I) 95 percent of the applicable percentage; multiplied by

“(II) the total amount of funds available for apportionment.

“(ii) Applicable percentage.—For purposes of this subparagraph, the applicable percentage shall be an amount, expressed as a percentage, equal to the quotient of—

“(I) the estimated tax payments attributable to highway users in the State that were paid into the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) for the most recent fiscal year for which data are available; divided by

“(II) the estimated total tax payments attributable to users in all States that were paid into the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) for that fiscal year.

“(2) State apportionment.—On October 1 of each fiscal year described in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall apportion the sum authorized to be appropriated for expenditure on the national highway performance program under section 119, the surface transportation block grant program under section 133, the highway safety improvement program under section 148, the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program under section 149, the national highway freight program under section 167, the carbon reduction program under section 175, to carry out subsection (c) of the PROTECT program under section 176, and to carry out section 134 in accordance with paragraph

(1).”. <all>

Comments

Comments

Loading comments…