Thursday: Highway funding, short-term bill

by Jordain Carney - 07/30/15 10:11 AM ET

The Senate is expected to vote Thursday on final passage of its six-year highway bill.

Senate leadership was hoping to get the long-term infrastructure bill to the House before the lower chamber left for the August recess, with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) calling on lawmakers to stay an extra week.

{mosads}But the House left Washington on Wednesday until September, after signing off on a three-month extension ahead of the end-of-the-week deadline to pass new infrastructure funding.

Instead, after the Senate takes a vote on the long-term bill, currently scheduled for noon, senators will also vote on the House’s short-term extension.

Senators are expected to vote on the short-term extension at 1:45 p.m.

Republican leadership has suggested that passing a short-term bill would give House lawmakers more time to come up with its own long-term highway bill.

If House lawmakers can come up with legislation, the Senate would then go to conference with its six-year bill later this year.

Tags Barbara Boxer