The House has passed an $8.1-billion measure to keep federal highway and transit programs operating through Dec. 18, aiming to get the extension enacted before a current stopgap expires on July 31.

The 312-119 vote on July 15 leaves the next move up to the Senate.

After the vote, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said in a statement, "This bipartisan action will keep construction workers on the job and pave the way for further efforts on long-term infrastructure plan."

In announcing the House proposal, which was introduced late on July 13, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) and Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said that they're seeking to use the rest of this year to help produce a longer-range transportation bill, spanning up to six years.

In a joint statement, Ryan and Shuster said: "This country needs a long-term plan to fix our roads, bridges and other infrastructure and this bill gives us our best shot at completing one this year."

The Dept. of Transportation projects that the trust fund's highway account will fall into the red near the end of August, unless Congress injects more revenue before that point.

Closing the trust fund's gap for six years would require about $90 billion in additional revenue.

The new stopgap would be funded by about $8.1 billion in transfers to the trust fund from the general Treasury.

That cost would be more than offset by about $8.3 billion in changes in tax compliance and accounting for Transportation Security Administration fees, according to a fact sheet from Ways and Means.

Story updated on July 15 to include House floor vote.