WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday to keep federal dollars flowing to road and highway projects for three more months, averting a funding cutoff at the peak of the summer construction season, reported Reuters.
The 91-to-4 vote on the short-term patch, which the House of Representatives approved on Wednesday, sends the measure to President Barack Obama for his signature. Without the money, the federal Highway Trust Fund--which provides money through the federal gas tax to states and localities to build and maintain the nation's roads and bridges, as well as public transportation systems--would become insolvent on August 1.
The $12-billion bill, which extends highway and mass transit funding through October 29, sets the stage for a fall debate between House and Senate lawmakers over how to address the long-term needs of America's crumbling transportation infrastructure, while simultaneously trying to avoid a government shutdown on October 1.
Earlier on Thursday, the Senate also voted 65 to 34 to approve a bipartisan long-term highway bill that would authorize $350 billion in transportation spending over six years. If enacted by Congress, the legislation would become the first long-term highway funding package since 2005, said the report.
House lawmakers, who left for a five-week summer break on Wednesday, are expected to craft their own long-term legislation while this week's short-term patch remains in place.
The Senate's long-term legislation has already been rejected by Republican leaders in the House including Speaker John Boehner.
Boehner and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell are already working behind the scenes to minimize their differences over the legislation, according to the news agency.
"We all want to work out the best possible legislation for the American people in a conference later this year," McConnell said.
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