Senate Panel Clears Highway Bill, in Line with House Version
A new transportation bill has made more progress in Congress, as a Senate committee approved a five-year bill that would provide about $190 billion in highway funding through 2009. That five-year amount is in line with the six-year level in the bill the House passed on March 10 and the six-year sum recommended by the Bush administration. But Senate committee members said they felt their bill's funding wasn't adequate, indicating they expected efforts on the floor to add more money to the legislation.
The measure that the Environment and Public Works Committee cleared on March 16 includes $190.8 billion in highway contract authority over the fiscal 2005-2009 period. Adding 2004's funding of $35.9 billion brings the total to $226.7 billion over six years, the same amount the Bush administration has proposed for highways over the 2004-2009 period. The version the House approved has about $225 billion for roads.