The House of Representatives approved an amended job-creation bill this afternoon that would extend Highway Trust Fund authorization until Dec. 31, deposit $19.5 billion of general revenue into the Highway Trust Fund, restore this fiscal year's highway funding to $42 billion from $30 billion, and offer additional federal support for states and localities that wish to issue Build America Bonds to finance infrastructure construction.

By a vote of 217-201, the House sent the measure (HR 2847) back to the Senate. Senators had approved the bill last week by a vote of 78-19 after overcoming a Republican filibuster. The Highway Trust Fund's authority lapsed Sunday after the House did not act on the 10-month extension last week and after Sen. Jim Bunning, R-KY, held up a separate bill extending authorization by 30 days. Federal Highway Administration reimbursements to state transportation departments ceased Monday and Tuesday and the U.S. Department of Transportation furloughed some 2,000 employees until the Senate was able to clear the measure and President Barack Obama signed it late Tuesday night.

The jobs measure approved today by the House would be the fifth short-term extension of the 2005 transportation authorization law known as "SAFETEA-LU," which expired Sept. 30, 2009. Under the fourth extension approved Tuesday night, Highway Trust Fund authorization now lapses March 28. Work continues in Congress on a full six-year surface transportation authorization, which has been delayed over funding concerns.

Today's House version of the jobs bill includes $15 billion worth of payroll tax breaks for small businesses that hire new workers and Build America Bonds financing support for state and local infrastructure projects. The House amendment adopted today includes a few minor changes from the version passed last week by the Senate. Those changes include reiterating existing federal law requiring state DOTs to award at least 10 percent of their contracts to "small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals." This provision was added to address concerns of the Congressional Black Caucus, CQ Politics reported. Some CBC members had been withholding their support for the measure over concerns it doesn't do enough to address job creation for minorities.

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