Democrats on both sides of the Capitol are ramping up their pressure on the House after the Senate approved a two-year, $109 billion bill that garnered votes from nearly half of the Republican caucus.

The guts of the bill would stay the same as the latest version that hasn’t gone anywhere — transit would continue to receive a dedicated share of the federal gas tax, an issue that had drawn opposition from a number of Republicans in suburban districts, according to a source who attended the meeting.

The general game plan over the next few weeks, as laid out by aides: continue rallying and gauging support for a five-year bill when members return to town next week. An extension of the current law, slated to expire April 1, would hit the floor sometime during the March 26 week.

Michael Steel, spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, said nothing’s final. “No decisions have been made by the leaders with respect to how the House will proceed, and won’t be until they’ve discussed the situation with our members,” he said.

But regardless of the path ahead, the ninth extension of transportation law is viewed by many as a foregone conclusion.

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) hasn’t decided how long the stopgap should be and aides predicted it wouldn’t have any problems passing the chamber, even though it would extend both programs and the current 18.4 cents per gallon federal gas tax.

House members get a two-week break starting March 30 and don’t return to session until the week of April 16 — the earliest any other bill could come up for a vote, the aides said.

This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 2:46 p.m. on March 15, 2012.