Jobs bill moves ahead with highway fix

Jobs bill moves ahead with highway fix    A procedural vote passed the Senate Monday that leads the way to completing a slimmed-down $15 billion bill designed to stimulate job creation through employer tax breaks and credits.
   The bill includes a one-year reauthorization for the Highway Trust Fund, the repository for fuel tax receipts used to help states cover the cost of highway and transit projects.
      Five Republicans, including newly seated Scott Brown of Massachusetts, voted along with most Democrats to overcome a filibuster and move the jobs bill along.
   The House previously approved a $100 billion jobs bill in December. A compromise bill will have to be crafted for final approval.
   Both bills would extend federal funding for highway and transit programs while Congress works on a multiyear reauthorization bill. The temporary extension, granted last fall after the SAFETEA-LU transportation spending plan was not renewed, expires on Feb. 28.
   The legislation provides $19.5 billion for the Highway Trust Fund to keep it in the black.