Senate Votes To Buy More Time To Reconcile Highway Bill

11.19.2015 | Surge Wire |

The Senate passed a measure to extend funding for highway projects through Dec. 4 Thursday, giving the House and Senate more time to hash out a compromise between their respective long-term highway funding bills.

Funds were set to expire Friday if Congress did not act.The House and Senate versions of the long-term bill would provide enough highway funds for three years of the six year legislation.

The full conference committee is set to gather after Congress returns from its Thanksgiving recess to reconcile the discrepancies between the House and Senate bills, including how they plan to use the Federal Reserve to provide revenue to offset transportation costs.

Other differences include upping damage payments for rail victims to $295 million in the Senate version, and a call for more funding for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the Senate version.

The last time Congress passed a transportation bill that lasted more than two years was in 2005.

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