Congressmen and senators have left Washington, DC, for a recess, but staff members of the two transportation committees may soon start to identify items of agreement in the two transportation reauthorization bills, HR 3550 and S 1072.

Under the threat of a White House veto despite considerable trimming, the House on April 2 voted 357-65 to pass a $275 billion bill to reauthorize surface-transportation programs for six years. The bill now goes to a House-Senate conference committee.

But first, House staff may need considerable time to sort out the many changes made to the bill during the floor consideration.

Among the changes: The House April 1 approved an amendment that would repeal the authority to toll indefinitely on existing highway lanes and replace it with tolls allowed only on voluntary use lanes, with revenue dedicated solely to new highway capacity.

Meanwhile, current funding for the federal-aid highway and transit programs are set to expire April 30. Some say it’s unlikely a conference agreement can be reached in that time, making another short-term extension of TEA-21 necessary.

Commenting on the House action, John Horsley, executive director of the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials, said, "The strong show of support in the House for reauthorizing federal highway and transit programs creates new momentum for enactment of a six-year bill. We urge House and Senate conferees to move quickly to address the nation's transportation needs and create good-paying jobs that can boost our economy."