A House vote of 359 to 65 and a Senate vote of 83 to 16 has resulted in a $305 billion highway bill's approval. The bill now awaits the signature of President Barack Obama, whose spokesman has already confirmed that he would sign it.
"Many said a multi-year highway bill would never pass the Senate, but we proved them wrong - and we proved it could actually pass by a wide, bipartisan margin," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, reported USA Today.
"It will certainly help fix America's surface transportation infrastructure. All states and communities have significant infrastructure needs and they all need a long-term certainty to address them," said Bill Shuster, chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
The bill authorizes a five-year program of highway construction and mass transit spending costing $305 billion, which allows Amtrak to create a separate budget for its profitable Northeast Corridor, according to The Post and Courier.
"The importance of investing in the roads, bridges and rails utilized by all Americans cannot be overstated. At its core, the legislation shows commitment to a safe, efficient and well-maintained infrastructure, and this long-term measure offers greater certainty to projects at the state and local level, helps move people and products and keeps our economy strong and vibrant," said Rep. Tom Cole, applauding the bill, according to NewsOK.
"This bill is a big step forward and a desperately needed long-term investment in our nation's infrastructure," said Jay Timmons, CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, echoing sentiments of business groups, who feel that the legislation will increase jobs in construction, improve freight delivery and streamline government regulations.
