House committee approves transportation funding bill

Washington – The House Appropriations Committee approved a transportation funding bill for fiscal year 2013 that would provide additional funding to some safety programs while making cuts to others.

The $51.6 billion appropriations bill (.pdf file) for the Departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies was approved during a June 19 committee session and reported to the full house.

Budget appropriations in the bill include:

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – $776.2 million, a $23.8 million reduction from FY 2012 and $200 million less than requested by the administration
• National Transportation Safety Board – $102.4 million, matching both the FY 2012 budget and FY 2013 request
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration – $244.1 million, $3.6 million less than FY 2012 and $5.9 million less than requested
• Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration – $23 million, a $1.7 million increase from FY 2012 and $2 million more than requested
• Federal Railroad Administration, safety and operations – $184 million, a $5.4 million increase from FY 2012 and $28 million more than requested