Senate to advance bipartisan transportation bill Wednesday

A bipartisan group of senators has introduced a 600-page bill to fund federal transportation programs for the next two years, which will be marked up in the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee on Wednesday.

"I am proud to be Chairman of a committee that has joined together across party lines to write a strong, job-creating transportation bill," EPW Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said. "I believe that our bill will not only protect the 1.8 million existing transportation jobs, but we will also create up to an additional million jobs thanks to the way our bill leverages federal funds."

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), and Sens. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and David Vitter (R-La.) also supported the bill as a bipartisan way to funded needed infrastructure programs through 2013.

The bill, S. 1813, funds the federal highway program at $39.1 billion in 2012, and $39.8 billion in 2013. According to a summary of the bill, it would level-fund highway programs plus inflation for the next two years.

It also finds budget savings by consolidating dozens of programs and eliminating earmarks.