Highway, bridge money at risk: Senate to vote
Source: AP-Excite
By JOAN LOWY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Racing to adjourn for the summer, the Senate scheduled major votes Tuesday on proposals to keep federal highway funds flowing across the nation — billions of dollars to avert layoffs for construction workers and shutdowns of road and bridge projects just before the November elections.
A smooth trip through the Senate was anything but guaranteed, and votes were expected to last into the night.
The House passed a $10.8 billion bill last week that would pay for highway and transit aid to states through the end of May 2015 at current spending levels, and the Senate was taking up that legislation. But some senators, complaining that the House version depended on budgetary gimmicks and wanting to force action on a longer-term solution, were expected to offer amendments. And if any amendments passed, that would set up a showdown between the House and Senate on how to resolve the differences.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, declared his chamber would not accept any changes in the way transportation programs are paid for in its bill.
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FILE - This April 14, 2014 file photo shows a section of the I-75 Phase II modernization project under way in Dayton, Ohio. The Senate is set to take up legislation to keep federal highway money flowing to states, with just three days left before the government plans to start slowing down payments. The House passed a $10.8 billion bill last week that would pay for highway and transit aid through the end of May 2015 if transportation spending is maintained at current levels. Under a schedule outlined by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., the Senate would take up that bill Tuesday. (AP Photo/Skip Peterson, File)
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