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Yesterday, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury and Housing and Urban Development, The Judiciary, District of Columbia approved a fiscal-year 2006 appropriations bill, which includes $8.5 billion for federal transit programs — the level authorized under the House’s Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century reauthorization bill.

The bill proposes an $836 million funding increase compared with FY2005 and $701 million more than the Bush Administration’s FY2006 proposal.

The program would provide $1.4 billion for fixed-guideway modernization projects and $1.6 billion for new starts. The full House Appropriations Committee is expected to vote on the bill early next week.