Negotiators from the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives will meet on May 8, 2012, to reconcile their respective versions of a new surface transportation bill, H.R. 4348, which were recently approved by the two chambers.  The House passed H.R. 4348 on April 18, 2012, as a three-month extension of the current federal transportation program.  The Senate received H.R. 4348 from the House on April 19, struck all language in the bill after the enacting clause, and replaced the text with S. 1813, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century (MAP-21).  MAP-21 is the $109 billion, 1.5-year transportation reauthorization bill that was passed by the Senate in March 2012.  The Senate approved its version of H.R. 4348 on April 24.

The Senate has named 14 conferees to negotiate with the House.  These senators include the most senior members of the Environment and Public Works Committee, as well as those from the Commerce, Banking, and Finance Committees.  This group also includes senior Illinois Senator Richard Durbin.

The House rejected the Senate’s amended version of H.R. 4348 on April 25, and the Speaker appointed 33 conferees the same day.  This group includes top lawmakers on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; Energy and Commerce Committee; Natural Resources Committee; Science, Space, and Technology Committee; and the Ways and Means Committee.

For a list of major legislative actions on H.R. 4348, please consult the Library of Congress bill tracking system, THOMAS.