House passes Amtrak reauthorization.

Last week, the House voted 311-104 in support of H.R. 6003, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA). The bill would authorize $14.4 billion for Amtrak for capital and operating grants, state intercity passenger grants and high-speed rail over the next five yearn

The bipartisan support for the bill is large enough to override a Presidential veto threat issued by President Bush.

"With a combination of Republicans and Democrats looking to the future, we have been able to just keep Amtrak's nose above water over these intervening years," said Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James L. Oberstar (D-Minn.). "Today we change that model."

The House passed several amendments to the bill, including a proposal from Rep. Thomas M. Davis (R-Va.) that would give the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority a $1.5 billion boost to relieve crowding on the Metro system.

Rep. Patrick J. Murphy (D-Pa.) offered an amendment, which was approved to require Amtrak to report to Congress on the results of an evaluation of passenger rail between Cornwall Heights, Pa., and New York, and between Princeton Junction, N.J., and New York.

Additionally, the House rejected 150-275 an amendment from Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) that would have prohibited Amtrak from using federal funds for long-distance routes that are expensive, but not successful.

The House legislation also includes a proposal by Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) to allow private companies to bid on the construction of a high-speed rail line along the Northeast Corridor, between Washington, D.C., and New York.

Last fall, the Senate voted 70-22 in support of a similar reauthorization bill that would provide Amtrak with $11.4 billion over six years, but did not include the privatization provisions.

Similar to the Senate bill, H.R. 6003 features a new funding source, the State Capital Grant program, for intercity passenger rail capital projects. The bill provides $2.5 billion for grants to states to pay for the capital costs of facilities and equipment necessary to provide new or improved intercity passenger rail. Like funding requirements for other federal transportation programs, recipients would be required to provide a 20 percent match for each federal dollar allocated.

This six-year authorization would provide Amtrak, whose last authorization expired in 2002, with stability and allow for long-term planning. The House and Senate will now begin work on a compromise bill.