By Kevin Lavery, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – A federal transportation bill that's lingered in Congress for nearly two years passed out of a U.S. Senate committee Wednesday.
But Missouri Republican Senator Kit Bond, one of the lawmakers who has helped negotiate and write the legislation, says the $284 billion package is not enough. He'd like to see the final bill earmarked at at least $299 billion.
"I'm hoping on the floor we will find that the Finance Committee can add additional revenues to the Highway Trust Fund, which will enable us to move that number up so it's a bit more generous," Bond said Wednesday. "We can certainly use it and all the other states are going to need it as well."
President Bush has indicated he may veto the bill if it exceeds $284 billion.
Bond says the legislation that passed the committee Wednesday would give Missouri more than $1 billion in new funding and create thousands of new jobs. The package also includes $44 million for the proposed new Mississippi River bridge. The bill is expected to reach the full Senate next month.