Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee by a vote of 29 to 1 approved a transportation spending bill for Fiscal Year 2015, which begins October 1. Committee Chairman, Sen. Barbara Mikulski said the Senate will attempt to vote on the bill the week of June 16. The funding levels for Highway Trust Fund programs in the Senate bill are similar to the House-passed bill.

An amendment to the transportation spending bill offered by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) was approved by a vote of 21 to 9, which suspends the hours-of service (HOS) 34-hour restart provision through September 2015 while the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) conducts a one-year study of the restart provision. Some Committee Democrats opposed the Collins’ amendment arguing the restart provision had been sufficiently studied and had worked in improving safety. NASSRTAC supported the Collins’ amendment and signed a coalition letter supporting it. Click below to view the letter.