Reid suggests he will allow further amendment votes on highway bill

By Josiah Ryan - 03/07/12 11:29 AM ET

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Wednesday hinted he will afford Republicans a number of votes on their non-germane and controversial amendments later this week in order to move the pending highway bill to the House.

"It's unfortunate we are going to have to have a number votes on a number of amendments that have nothing to do with this legislation," Reid said.

Among the dozens of amendments suggested by Republicans for the highway bill is one that would speed construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, another to allow drilling for oil in most domestic bodies of water and another that would repeal the Environmental Protection Agency’s boiler MAC rules.

In his opening speech Wednesday, Reid also embraced Speaker of the House John Boehner's (R-Ohio) suggestion that the House would take up the Senate-passed bill.

“I was satisfied yesterday that the Speaker of the House … said he thought … the thing to do would be to take a Senate version of the bill if we can figure out how to pass one.”