Congress is inching closer to passing its first long-term transportation bill since 2005. Both bodies have passed a transportation bill, the Senate DRIVE Act and the House Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015, but lawmakers have little time to reconcile the differences between the two bills and move a final bill to the President’s desk. They need to act fast because the deadline for the expiration of federal transportation funds is Nov. 20.

If it passes, the bill will provide transportation for the next six years. According to the website The Hill, Congress has not approved a transportation bill lasting longer than two years since 2005. More information about the House and Senate versions of the bill can be found on the Transportation For America blog (scroll to the bottom of the post).

Minnesota’s Transportation Alliance is among the transportation advocacy organizations pushing for the passage of the bill. The group sent out an “action alert” earlier this week urging transportation advocates to contact Minnesota’s members of Congress and encourage them to finish the bill. Margaret Donahoe, Transportation Alliance’s executive director, also sent this letter to Rep. Rick Nolan, which outlines some of the federal transportation issues that are particularly important to Minnesota.