Congress has approved a spending bill that will avert a shutdown and keep agencies operating through Sept. 30. Construction industry officials were pleased that the final version funds the federal highway program at levels contained in 2012's Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, or MAP-21.
The Senate on March 20 passed a continuing resolution (CR) drafted by Appropriations Committee Chairman Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) with the panel's ranking Republican, Richard Shelby (Ala.). The House approved the Senate measure on March 21. The bill, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates at $975 billion, next goes to the White House for President Obama's expected signature. Enactment is needed by March 27, when a stopgap appropriations bill is due to expire.