The Senate has voted 26-9 in favor of HB 312aa, the revised transportation bill. The nine “no” votes came from Sens. Bayer, Burgoyne, Hagedorn, Martin, Nonini, Nuxoll, Souza, Thayn and Vick.

“I reject the notion that we’ve failed,” said Sen. Bert Brackett, R-Rogerson. “We have made a huge step with the soon-to-be passage of this bill. … It’s been 20 years since we addressed it. Raising taxes is not easy, nor should it be.”

The Senate is now preparing to adjourn sine die, but won’t do so until the House also has acted on the transportation bill. It did send a committee to inform the governor that it’s preparing to adjourn. Sen. John Tippets, returning from that mission, said Otter was in his office, having returned to be present for the sine die message. “And he was looking pretty spry,” he said.