The House and Senate have approved a $388.4-billion fiscal 2005 spending package that wraps together all of the unfinished appropriations measures. The huge measure sets the funding for many major construction programs, including federal-aid highways, wastewater treatment grants, federal courthouses and veterans' hospitals. On Nov. 20, the House approved the legislation by a 344-51 vote and the Senate passed it 65-30.
The best news for construction in the package is a $1.6-billion increase for the federal highway program. One major disappointment is a $350-million cutback in the Environmental Protection Agency's water infrastructure account.