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Yesterday, the House approved a $123.1 billion transportation and housing bill for fiscal-year 2010.

The measure would provide $4 billion for high-speed rail (HSR), $3 billion more than the Obama Administration had sought in the next fiscal year for HSR and intercity passenger rail. The bill also would appropriate $1.5 billion for Amtrak — in line with the national intercity passenger railroad’s current funding and the Administration’s request — and $150 million for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

The Senate has yet to begin addressing its version of the spending bill. The House and Senate eventually will have to reconcile any differences between their bills before a measure is presented to President Obama.

In another HSR development yesterday, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) board voted in favor of collaborating with the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) to help promote and develop HSR lines. LACMTA’s board supports a Los Angeles-to-Anaheim segment, which would be part of CHSRA’s plan to build 800 miles of HSR lines for trains reaching speeds up to 220 mph.