Senate passes its own version of Highway Trust Fund patch

By Allison Kral| July 30, 2014

With the Highway Trust Fund’s upcoming money shortage on August 1, the Senate surprised many by passing its own version of the Highway Trust Fund patch instead of agreeing on the House’s short-term fix.

According to an article by CNN, the Senate’s ultimate plan came from two different votes. First, the Senate voted 71-26 on a plan that was similar to the House’s bill, but altered the way it divvied up funding sources.

The final vote confirmed a more dramatic change in the House’s plan. CNN reports that this measure, proposed by Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxer of California, Tom Carper of Delaware and Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, passed by a vote of 66-31 and would dramatically shorten the time frame for highway money, extending funding through December rather than May. This bill would also do away with “pension smoothing,” a controversial funding measure that allows corporations to contribute less to employee pensions.

The Senate then sent the bill back to the House, where it could potentially be revised back to the original version, the article says.

“I just want to make this clear,” says Speaker John Boehner, Republican of Ohio. “If the Senate sends a highway bill over here with (the Wyden-Hatch version), we’re going to strip it out and put the House-passed provisions back in and send it back to the Senate.”

With August 1 quickly approaching, Congress must make a decision on the patch or watch the nation’s transportation infrastructure crumble, as hundreds of highway and bridge projects will be canceled or postponed until funding is available. According to the article, if the House sends back its original version to the Senate, the Senate may not have enough time to pass a new bill and make the ultimate decision.