In a bipartisan 70-to-28 vote that drew the support of 13 Republicans in a major coup for Democratic President Barack Obama, the Senate approved the bill on Feb. 24.
It was the first major Senate bill to be adopted with such Republican support since Obama took office more than a year ago.
The draft legislation comes as many of the president's Democratic allies are becoming increasingly concerned about the stubbornly high rate of unemployment now at 9.7%.
The bill sets out plans to create jobs through projects to build schools, highways and bridges.
It also favors projects in the energy sector and offers tax breaks for companies hiring new staff.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2010
