House Passes 7th Extension for Highway, Transit Programs
With no deal yet in sight on a multi-year transportation bill, the House has approved another stopgap to keep federal highway and transit money flowing. The new, 30-day extension, which the House passed without objection during the evening of May 25, runs through June 30. It would be the seventh stopgap since Sept. 30, 2003, when the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, the last big highway and transit statute, expired.
The Senate will follow suit and approve the latest stopgap, says Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman James Inhofe. That Senate action could come as early as May 26. Without a new bill, transportation programs would lapse on May 31. Congress was moving to act by the end of its session May 27, when its Memorial Day recess starts.