HONOLULU (AP) - A bill to bail out Honolulu’s troubled rail transit project is heading for a final vote in the state House of Representatives.
It would raise about $2.4 billion through tax increases to help fill a budget hole. The commuter line is estimated to cost $9.5 billion.
Lawmakers in the House advanced the proposal in a procedural vote Thursday. They will cast their final votes on the bill Friday.
Rail officials face a Sept. 15 deadline to present a sound financial plan to the Federal Transit Administration. If they do not, they risk losing $700 million in promised federal funds and having to return $800 million they already spent.
The state Senate approved the bill Wednesday. Lawmakers are complaining they’ve been pressured to pass the bill with no amendments.
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