House Votes Bill Stuffed With Holiday Goodies

‘Tis the season on Capitol Hill when lawmakers wrap up the holiday goodies they hope to take home to their districts, as well as some for themselves.

The spending bill passed Thursday by the House is vital to keeping the government operating, but tucked snugly into the massive legislation are hundreds of pet projects.

In what has become a year-end Capitol Hill tradition, the $587-billion piece of legislation sets a list of priorities that includes such narrow interests as adding a $90,000 right-turn lane to San Diego’s Tierrasanta Boulevard and working out the bugs in the House’s new high-tech AT&T; telephone system, the operation of which has baffled many lawmakers.

It also includes a provision requiring the District of Columbia to come up with a plan for improving the rush-hour traffic flow over a bridge connecting it with Virginia suburbs--a bridge that is on the route that many congressmen take to and from work.

The spending legislation, known as a continuing resolution, rolls all the year’s 13 regular appropriations bills into one and, therefore, is arguably the most important single bill of the year. But its urgent nature also makes it a magnet for hundreds of local-interest projects.

Ironically, some of those who managed to get favorite projects into the legislation were among the bill’s greatest detractors. Rep. Lawrence Coughlin (R-Pa.), who derided the bill as “a hog’s breakfast,” managed to make sure it included language urging $13.5 million in community development block grants for his district.

Because the bill was drafted by the Appropriations Committee, many of its benefits flow into the districts of members of that panel. Republican Bill Lowery of San Diego, for example, was able to secure the right-turn lane--which he said will ease congestion near a Navy housing area--and a land sale under which the Navy will be able to build more housing in San Diego.

His fellow committee Republican, Rep. Jerry Lewis of Redlands, managed to win backing for $8.5 million to fund Loma Linda University Medical Center’s development of a promising new type of cancer therapy.

But Lewis and Lowery sided with most members of their party in voting against the bill--in part, Republicans said, because it did not enforce deficit reduction. This defection means that their pet projects may be jettisoned when the bill reaches a House-Senate conference committee.