Transportation Reauthorization Bill Passed by Senate, Now Moves to House

On March 14, 2012, the Senate passed S. 1813, a bill to reauthorize the Federal-aid highway and highway safety construction programs for two years. The bill, also known as Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), would maintain funding at current levels, indexed for inflation, among other things. Press reports indicate that the House must take up the bill quickly, as current highway funding expires on March 31, 2012.

(See ITT’s Online Archives 11110903 for summary of the November 7, 2011 introduction of S. 1813, which was amended and approved by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on November 9, 2011 and reported with amendments on February 6, 2012. See ITT’s Online Archives 12030909 for summary of House Speaker Boehner’s decision to have the House act on S. 1813, rather than go forward on their own five-year transportation reform bill that one Congressman stated was still in the works. See ITT's Online Archives 12031317 for summary of the scheduling of the final vote on S. 1813 for March 13, 2012, and ITT’s Online Archives 12031420 for summary of postponement of vote until March 14, 2012.)

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Boxer’s press release (dated March 14, 2012) available here.

White House press release lauding passage of the bill (dated March 14, 2012) available here.

Text of S. 1813 as passed by the full Senate not yet posted, but will be available here.