In one of their last decisions before adjourning for a month, the House backed a bill that would extend spending authority for transportation programs through Oct. 29, and replenish the federal Highway Trust Fund with $8 billion.

Intense competition for budget dollars could make for a disappointing session for the judicial branch, which is seeking a 7.5 percent funding increase — or an additional $45 million — mostly to pay for raises for court personnel after five consecutive years of salary freezes.

A request for proposal seeks a development team to “finance, design, construct and operate” a full-service hotel on a site along the inbound/outbound roadway at the airport’s Terminal 1.

The proposed 12-mile bus rapid transit or light rail line between downtown St. Paul and Woodbury is among 11 projects tapped by the Obama administration to be part of a program to increase coordination among the federal agencies that oversee major infrastructure projects.