Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell this week unveiled a highway bill that reauthorizes programs for six years and provides full funding for three years.

McConnell negotiated the bill with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), the Ranking Member of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee. The Senate bill provides funding offsets to cover the shortfall in money available from the Highway Trust Fund and those offsets, as well as some of the policy issues, could be contentious and could complicate Senate passage. McConnell hopes to pass the bill in the Senate this week and have the House pass it before they adjourn on July 31, which is also the date that the current highway authorization expires.

The House has already passed a bill that temporarily extends the highway programs for 5 months, through Dec. 18, 2015.  Even if the Senate passes their three year bill, the House is unlikely to take it up and pass it by the end of next week. Doing so would bypass their Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and deny the House the opportunity to have input on highway and transit program policy issues. It would also limit the possibility of getting provisions included to increase truck weight limits on federal interstates, which is a top priority for the American Soybean Association (ASA).  The Senate bill does not include the increased truck weights.

The House could adjourn on July 31 without taking any further action, leaving the Senate with the choice of accepting the House passed five month extension or allowing the Highway program to expire, which would cut off funding to states for road construction and maintenance.