On Thursday, March 29, 2012, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a 90-day extension of the current federal transportation authorization by a vote of 266 in favor and 158 opposed.  The Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012 (H.R. 4281) contains no policy changes and extends current programs and funding levels through June 30, 2012.  The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate, where the Majority Leader has indicated the Senate would accept the extension; the White House has also signaled it would approve the bill.  The Senate passed Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century (MAP-21), a 1.5-year, $109 billion reauthorization bill on March 14, 2012. 

If successful, the extension would be the ninth to the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which originally expired on September, 30 2009.  The current extension expires March 31, 2012.