An amendment offered by U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison to stop tolling on interstate highways was accepted and passed this week as part of the Senate’s 2008 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill.

The Senate appropriations bill passed 88-7 Wednesday, Sept. 12, and would be effective until Sept. 30, 2008, if approved in a conference committee and signed by the president.

The timeframe would translate to a one-year ban on tolls on existing interstates, Hutchison stated in a press release.

“I will continue pushing for a permanent prohibition of tolling existing highways,” she said.

On the House side, four representatives have filed bill HR3510 – which mirrors Hutchison’s bill – to stop interstate tolling. They are Rep. John Peterson, R-PA, Rep. Phil English, R-PA, Rep. Charles Gonzales, D-TX, and Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, D-TX.