The U.S. Senate is moving forward with legislation, S. 1813, that would put in place a new two year transportation authorization.  Floor votes began last week on amendments after agreement was reached by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell as to how to proceed.

Previous posts have noted the number of non-germane amendments that were being offered including those dealing with foreign aid and the Keystone pipeline. The agreement will allow for votes on some these non-transportation related amendments.

A final vote on the bill is expected this week, however, with a March 31 deadline on the current extension, no one knows what the House will do…quite possibly not even “The Shadow”.  After many internal discussions with his caucus, Speaker Boehner finally threw in the towel on a House version of the bill and declared that he’d wait to see what the Senate comes up with.

Stay up to date with this blog, and MML home page announcements as events unfold.

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.