On Friday, March 30, 2012, the president signed into law the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012 (H.R. 4281), a 90-day extension of the current federal transportation reauthorization. The measure had been passed by the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives on March 29.

The bill contains no policy changes and extends current programs and funding levels through June 30, 2012. While 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, the House rejected it in a procedural vote on March 21.

This is  the ninth extension to the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which originally expired on September, 30 2009.  After the current extension expires March 31, the new extension will last until June 30, 2012.