WASHINGTON -- Congress has passed a stop-gap bill that temporarily funds government operations, including highway funding, for this month.

According to one published report, there are 12 spending bills lawmakers still haven't finished for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1.

The temporary spending measure funds government operations largely at their fiscal 2009 levels, including the Highway Trust Fund.

Congress is still squabbling about separate measures to extend the current highway reauthorization. The House voted to extend the program through Dec. 31. But in the Senate, there are competing 12- and 18-month extension proposals.

There are lots of concerns driving the debate over the length of an extension.

Too long an extension means states might have to stop construction contracts and lose the impetus they got from this year's stimulus bill.

In addition, 18 months pushes the issue to March 2011, which would give Congress just a couple of months of a new congressional session to complete work on a large, complex bill - not an optimistic scenario.

The push by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar, for a six-year, $450 billion highway and public transportation reauthorization bill was bolstered last month when several business groups said theyd agree to raising fuel taxes if the bill made changes that cut congestion and trimmed other costs.

"If the government will give us good policy, a refined federal role, a focus on fixing the problems that cost business a lot of money, that drain our economy and steal dollars out of Americans pockets, well support increasing the gas tax and diesel (fuel) taxes to pay for" it, said Tom Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

"A lot of people will say thats a tax increase; correction - thats a user fee."

American Trucking Associations President Bill Graves said the federation was willing to weigh paying higher fuel taxes because, "while all of those are technically taxes, of course we really do view them as investments in the nations infrastructure."