President Signs Legislation Extending Government Funding Through Nov. 18

The House of Representatives gave final approval Tuesday to a continuing resolution extending funding for most federal agencies until Nov. 18. President Barack Obama signed the measure into law early Wednesday, hours after previous legal authority for the government to spend money had expired.Representatives voted 372-66 to clear the measure with a Senate amendment. The continuing resolution, HR 2608/Public Law 112-36, had originally passed the House by a vote of 219-203Sept. 23. The Senate then modified the measure last week to cut disaster relief funding by $1 billion to avoid an offsetting reduction in a U.S. Department of Energy program that funds advanced vehicle research. The enacted version provides $2.65 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other disaster aid programs, instead of the $3.65 billion in the earlier House version.

Congress has not enacted any of the 12 appropriations measures for the federal fiscal year that began Oct. 1, necessitating passage of a four-day continuing resolution last week and then the six-week extension this week.

House and Senate appropriations committee leaders are still working out how much Fiscal Year 2012 funding to allocate to each of the dozen bills.

The appropriations bill covering transportation and housing programs has passed through the Senate Appropriations Committee and a House appropriations subcommittee. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, announced Monday that he intends to bring the transportation/housing spending measure to the floor later this month. Typically the House proceeds first with an appropriations bill since the Constitution requires revenue bills originate in the lower chamber, but the Senate could attach the transportation/housing funding legislation to another bill already approved by the House and then return it for further consideration.

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved 28-2 last month an FY 2012 appropriations bill that would maintain the current obligation limit for federal highway and transit programs, drawing a stark contrast with a House measure that seeks to cut highway and transit investment 34% during the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. (see Sept. 23 AASHTO Journal story)