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Top congressional leaders are closing in on an agreement on a long-delayed COVID-19 relief package, hoping to seal a deal as early as Dec. 16.

As lawmakers work on legislation that will provide additional relief funds to the transportation sector, the trucking industry is asking Congress to include provisions that ensure liability protection for motor carriers on the front lines of the coronavirus relief effort.

Legislation meant to assist rural transportation corridors was introduced by Rep. Carol Miller this month.

The country’s port operators called on federal lawmakers to approve billions of dollars in emergency aid as congressional leaders scramble to avert a partial government shutdown.

Before adjourning for the year, top Democrats on Capitol Hill are not ruling out the possibility of advancing a nearly $1 trillion COVID-19 package that includes aid for transportation networks.

Members of Congress return to Capitol Hill after Thanksgiving to close out a post-election lame-duck session that will include government funding legislation and the possibility of a new round of COVID-19 relief aid.

For the top transportation decision-makers on Capitol Hill up for re-election, a majority of voters responded favorably to their campaigns, sending them back to Washington to work on an agenda that includes an update of the country’s highway and infrastructure policies.

Legislation that aims to promote the adoption of new technologies throughout the country’s transportation networks was recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The extension of the law governing the country’s highway policies is before the Senate as part of legislation meant to avert a partial shutdown of federal agencies.

Groups representing nearly every aspect of the country’s infrastructure networks recently called on congressional leaders to approve a yearlong extension of a soon-to-expire highway law.