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U.S. House of Representatives June 27 passed Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2002 (H.R. 2299), and requested Senate concurrence.



If passed, the bill would provide $25.1 million for expenses related to Federal Railroad Administration’s Next Generation High-Speed Rail program, and $521 million for Amtrak’s capital expenses. House Amendment 116 would decrease funds allocated for Amtrak Reform Council by $335,000 — from $785,000 to $450,000.



Federal Transit Administration would receive $6.7 billion, including funds earmarked for many capital improvement projects, such as:



Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn., Hiawatha corridor project ($50 million);

Denver Southeast corridor light rail transit project ($60 million);

Largo, Md., Metrorail extension project ($60 million);

San Diego Mission Valley East, Calif., Light rail transit project ($65 million);

Portland, Ore., Interstate MAX light rail transit extension project ($70 million);

Dallas North central light rail transit extension project ($70 million);

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit/San Francisco International Airport extension ($80.6 million); and

New Jersey Hudson Bergen light rail transit project ($141 million).



Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee, a Texas Democrat, lobbied without success to strike section 329, which states, "None of the funds in this act shall be available for planning, design or construction of a light rail system in Houston, Texas."



Congressman John Culberson, a Texas Republican, led the opposition against Jackson-Lee’s amendment, stating that Texas law requires voter approval to build a rail system, and that the highest transportation need in Harris County is the completed expansion of the Katy Freeway.



The bill was referred to Committee on Appropriations.