House passes Amtrak bill with veto-proof majority

By RAJU CHEBIUM Gannett News Service

WASHINGTON - Despite a veto threat, the House overwhelmingly approved a $14 billion Amtrak bill this afternoon.

he final vote was 311-104, more than the two-thirds majority required to override a presidential veto. All 13 New Jersey House members voted yes.

In addition to providing Amtrak operating subsidies over five years, the measure seeks to boost the federal investment in high-speed rail. It also calls for opening up the Northeast Corridor and 10 others to private competitors - something many Democrats oppose.

Though President Bush likes the bill’s privatization proposal, he rejects boosting funding unless Amtrak is held more accountable and changes the way it operates, the White House said.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., co-wrote a five-year, $11 billion Amtrak bill that passed the Senate 70-22 in October. House and Senate negotiators now have to come up with a compromise bill, which has to pass Congress and win Bush’s approval to become law.

The bill passed today is an "authorization" bill. It doesn't allocate money for the nation's sole passenger railroad. For that Congress has to separately "appropriate" the money.