The House will vote on prohibiting funding for the California high-speed rail program as the chamber is set to wrap up work on the transportation appropriations bill today.

There are five amendments pending to the fiscal 2013 spending bill today as well as final passage, coming the same day as Congress is expected to complete work on a transportation authorization bill. The $51.6 billion Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act is the sixth spending bill to see floor time this year.

Among the amendments that will see a vote today is one from Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) that would prohibit funds from being spent on the California high-speed rail project, despite the fact that no money is allotted to the program -- or any high-speed rail -- in the bill. A similar motion passed the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and House Republicans have made several attempts to block spending on both the California project and national rail lines.

The spending bill represents a $3.9 billion dip from fiscal 2012 levels and is $1.9 billion below President Obama's request.

The conservative Heritage Action for America issued a key vote alert on the spending bill, urging members to vote against it. The group says the bill misses the chance for deficit reduction and spends too much when compared to previous fiscal years.

The bill also comes as the House will consider a 27-month transportation authorization bill following months of work. Although that bill would affect the 2013 spending levels, a House aide said the chamber will not have to redo the appropriations bill.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) has an amendment that would impose an across-the-board 1 percent cut to discretionary funding, valued at $516 million. The House will also consider an amendment from Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) that would prohibit funding from being used for the Third Street Light Rail subway project in San Francisco.

Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.) also has an amendment on the docket that would block the government from paying any Federal Highway Administration officer to administer or enforce the Migratory Bird Treaty Act on the cliff swallow or barn swallow. The final amendment, from Rep. Jeff Landry (R-La.), would block funding for any GPS tracking of on-board recording devices in passenger or commercial vehicles.

In debate late Wednesday night, the House approved language from Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-Minn.) that would block the Department of Transportation from spending funds to implement a vehicle-miles-traveled tax. Some are still concerned that a VMT tax, seen by many as the likely successor to the gas tax, would pose privacy risks and technological problems.

The House also approved by voice vote a ban from Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) on funding for livable or sustainable community grants, which had been zeroed out in the original language, and language from Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas) barring spending on a coal-to-liquid alternative fuel process.

The House also approved another amendment from Cravaack that would block federal funds from going to implement the European Union's Emissions Trading System, which observers said was ultimately meaningless (Greenwire, June 28).