Senate negotiators reach agreement on 6-year highway bill; rank-and-file approval still needed

[cal04]

Last edited Tue Jul 21, 2015, 02:14 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: AP

Senate Republican and Democratic negotiators say they've reached an agreement on a 6-year highway and transit bill subject to approval by rank-and-file lawmakers.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, announced the deal Tuesday on the Senate floor. He said negotiators were able to find only enough funds to pay for transportation programs for the first 3 years of the bill.

The measure was negotiated primarily by McConnell and Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Democratic leaders must first see a copy of the legislation and then discuss it with their members.

Read more: http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2015/07/21/senate-negotiators-reach-agreement-on-6-year-highway-bill

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(snip)
However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he and Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, who led the Democratic negotiations, were able to agree only on enough funds to pay for transportation programs for the first 3 years of the bill, leaving open how the later three years will be financed.

(snip)
Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., said he expected Senate debate on the bill to take about two weeks. Beside the funding issue, lawmakers have also been negotiating changes to a series of safety provisions favorable to the auto, trucking and railroad industries that were approved on a party-line vote by a Senate commerce panel last week. That legislation will be wrapped into the overall bill.

There are likely to be other controversies as well. Some GOP senators have also indicated they will try to add language regarding Planned Parenthood to the bill.And there is expected to be an attempt to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank. Aircraft maker Boeing and the aerospace industry are seeking renewal of the bank, which supports American companies trying to sell products overseas. Conservatives say the bank is corporate welfare.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/senate-negotiators-reach-agreement-year-highway-bill-32594670

[HassleCat]

1. Raid on federal savings plan

I hear they're going to fund their highway stuff by reducing the rate of return for federal workers who invest in the Thrift Savings Plan.

[lark]

2. The house bill is gawd-awful, hope this version is substantially different.

They need to leave Social Security squarely out of this, no cuts to any safety net programs, there's already been too many cuts. Hang tough, Dems.

[uwep]

3. Did not President Obama try to do this in the beginning to spur recovery?

Now the repugs want to get credit so they can use it in the election. I say make them pay!!