House Approves $325B Highway Bill

The approval comes as Congress is facing an Oct. 29 deadline for renewing federal transportation funding.

The Hill

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday approved a bipartisan bill to spend up to $325 billion on transportation projects over the next six years, as Congress scrambles to prevent a loss of infrastructure spending at the end of the month. 

The measure, known as the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015, would spend $261 billion on highways, $55 billion on transit and approximately $9 billion on safety programs — but only if Congress can come up with a way to pay for the final three years. 

The approval comes as Congress is facing an Oct. 29 deadline for renewing federal transportation funding.  

Supporters of the measure said Thursday's committee vote is the first step toward Congress passing a long-term highway bill for the first time in 10 years. 

"The STRR Act is fiscally responsible and authorizes federal surface transportation programs for six years," House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) said at the start of Thursday's hearing.

Republicans in the House have been facing pressure to pass a multiyear highway bill since they rejected an infrastructure funding measure that was approved by Senate during the summer. They balked at that bill, in part, because it contained six years' worth of transportation commitments, but only three years' worth of funding. 

By contrast, the highway bill that was approved by the House Transportation Committee on Thursday would require lawmakers to pass new legislation to "unlock" additional funding after the initial three years, instead of guaranteeing it in advance.

Read more from The Hill.

Latest