Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations bill for fiscal year 1994 . . . Final passage, as amended. Pertinent votes on this legislation include Nos. Details are provided below. That legislation codified a new approach to transportation, allowing States to have maximum flexibility to use funds to develop transportation systems most suited to their individual needs, while at the same time providing development funds for a wide range of transportation modes.
Funding is provided for several construction and repair projects that require special attention.
Third, despite the earmarks for the most critical projects, this bill minimizes earmarks in general. By avoiding earmarks, which are often made on political instead of policy grounds, we will ensure that only the most meritorious projects will receive funding. We are especially pleased with some of the investment initiatives that will receive funding. This increased expenditure is totally justified in this era of tight budgets, because we will never recover if we do not repair our crumbling infrastructure. We are also pleased that we were able to increase funding for Amtrak, and that we have provided funds to complete the electrification of the final segment of the Northeast corridor.