House approves DOT pay reimbursements

House approves DOT pay reimbursements    The House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday to reimburse about 2,000 Department of Transportation employees who were laid off for two days without pay when the department's legal authority to spend money expired on March 1.
   Congress passed emergency legislation to extend spending authority for another 30 days and subsequently passed a jobs bill that included an extension of spending power for surface transportation programs at current levels through the end of the year. Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., originally held up the emergency bill over an objection about deficit control, leading to the temporary work stoppage.
   The bill also approves expenditures during that period that were used to keep essential services going.
   The agencies most affected were the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.