Congress Passes Two-Day Stopgap Highway Bill Extension

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ongress passed a two-day extension of the federal highway spending bill late Tuesday as an agreement for a comprehensive bill continued to elude House and Senate negotiators, news services reported.

For the ninth time since the old six-year highway-spending law expired in September 2003, Congress approved a stopgap extension to ensure that programs aren't interrupted and that Department of Transportation funding continued, the Associated Press reported.

This time, with an agreement within reach, the extension would be for only two days, AP said. Past extensions have generally been for weeks or months.

While the House and Senate differed on their funding levels, the two have generally agreed to spend about $286 billion for 2004-to-2009 period on highway projects, mass transit and safety programs, up from $218 billion in the last six-year plan.

House and Senate negotiators have been working on a compromise highway measure since late May. The House passed a $283.9 billion bill that has been endorsed by the White House, while the Senate passed a $295 billion bill that drew a veto threat from the administration.

One of the remaining sticking points has been how to divide federal highway money among the states, AP said.