House panel approves higher budgets for DOT agencies

A House Appropriations panel quickly approved a $55 billion transportation spending bill Monday afternoon that provides across-the-board increases in fiscal year 2001 for most agencies under the legislation.

The bill, which the Transportation Subcommittee approved by voice vote after a 15-minute markup session, provides $15.8 billion in discretionary funds-an increase of $1.4 billion over fiscal 2000 and just $400 million less than the president's request.

During the meeting, Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Frank Wolf, R-Va., highlighted the bill's 15 percent increase for the Coast Guard, as well as the legislation's call to fully fund highway and aviation accounts, as prescribed by the recent AIR-21 and TEA-21 reauthorization bills.

Wolf also said the bill provides a 156 percent increase for the Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which helps protect against highway truck accidents

Democrats also praised the bill. Subcommittee Ranking Member Martin Sabo, D-Minn., said it was "one of the best works in progress" floating around the Capitol, and full committee Ranking Member David Obey, D-Wis., said, "This subcommittee's been fortunate in its allocation, which is more than I can say for some of the [other appropriations] bills."

Among the bill's funding highlights, with comparisons to fiscal 2000 levels:

• $30.7 billion for highway programs, an increase of $1.898 billion.
• $6.3 billion for Federal Transit Administration, an increase $486 million.
• $12 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration, $2.5 billion over fiscal 2000. Airport improvement money is at $3.2 billion, an increase of 1.25 billion.
• $4.6 billion for the Coast Guard, an increase of $594 million. The mark includes $565 million for drug interdiction activities, some $44 million over the fiscal 2000 amount.
• $689 million for the Federal Railroad Administration, about $40 million below the fiscal 2000 amount but $366 million shy of the president's request. While the committee chose not to appropriate money for the administration's intercity passenger service fund, it did provide the full $520 million request for Amtrak.
• $269 million for the Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a $164 million increase.

The legislation also prohibits funds for the continuation of the Third Harbor Tunnel project in Boston, Mass., the so-called Big Dig project that has been plagued by cost-overruns and mismanagement, according to the committee.