Hartford — State Rep. Ed Jutila, D-East Lyme, a lead proponent of a bill to authorize electronic tolling on the future second half of Route 11, said Friday he still believes the legislation has a shot at passing this year despite the running clock and entrenched opposition.

"As recently as yesterday I was still checking my commitments, and I believe I would have the votes to pass the bill if it came out right now," Jutila said Friday afternoon from his seat in the chamber.

The bill passed the Senate last week, 22 to 14, but legislators in the House have since proposed 29 amendments. As each amendment can sometimes involve 20 minutes or more of floor debate, the long queue could make House leaders reluctant to call the bill as time gets scarce. This year's short session ends at midnight Wednesday.

During Senate debate on the bill, Republicans proposed an off-topic amendment that would have canceled the controversial Hartford-New Britain busway project. That debate lasted hours.