A Missouri House committee has dealt a setback to Gov. Jay Nixon's quest for $1 billion in federal high-speed rail money.
The House Budget Committee rejected an attempt Wednesday to insert the rail money into a state budget bill.
That comes just two weeks after Nixon held a news conference to announce Missouri was applying for $1 billion of the $2.4 billion of federal rail money that Florida decided not to use.
Republican lawmakers expressed concern that even if Missouri were to get the federal money, it would fund only design and land acquisition for a new route between St. Louis and Kansas City - not construction or operation costs.
Nixon's administration said Wednesday that it will continue with the application for the rail money.
