The six-year, $283.9 billion measure is poised to become the year's first big test of the California delegation and its commitment to getting more for the nation's largest state.

In the wake of meetings Thursday with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, several lawmakers said the 53-member delegation should stand unified against any bill that gives short shrift to the state.

Precisely how the bill the Transportation Equity Act: a Legacy for Users will affect the state remains unclear.

As currently written in the House, it tweaks a funding formula so that all states, including California, get significantly more money back in gas tax receipts. But the Senate could slash that provision and also make it harder for California to get clean-air funds.

Meanwhile, billions of dollars of local projects still are not specifically earmarked in either bill, and Southern California remains unsure it will see funding for such megaprojects as the Alameda Corridor East and repairs to the Gerald Desmond Bridge, a major truck route from the Long Beach-Los Angeles port complex.

Reps. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, Gary Miller, R-Diamond Bar, and David Dreier, R-Glendora, "are working hard to make sure that California gets as much as possible out of the upcoming highway bill," said Lewis spokesman Jim Specht.

Miller, the only California Republican on the House Transportation Committee, said he is pleased with the measure his panel wrote.

"This is a pretty healthy bill for California," he said.

If Miller and others get their way, the Alameda Corridor East, connecting the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to the transcontinental rail network, will get $900 million while the Gerald Desmond Bridge connecting the seaports to the Long Beach (710) Freeway would get $700 million for repairs.

Miller hopes to see those items funded through a $6 billion pot of money for projects of "national and regional significance."

And if the money comes through, that along with a separate provision boosting California's return for its contribution to the Highway Trust Fund, would improve the state's overall standing, he said.

Currently, California receives less than the amount of gasoline taxes its residents pay into the national Highway Trust Fund, used to finance transportation projects nationwide. The state receives about 89 cents for every dollar it puts in the fund. The House bill would mandate that California and all other states get at least a 95 percent return.

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, called that increase good but not good enough.

"We're going to get screwed out of money for our highways, but not as screwed as we usually do here in Washington," he said.

Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Sacramento, said he thinks California is getting the "short end of the stick' on transportation.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, said the California delegation should decide how much funding the state deserves and fight for it.

"Name a fair amount and stand by it," he suggested.

The authorization bill is a six-year blueprint showing how the federal government intends to fund highway and other transportation projects in the coming decade. Local agencies rely on it when they make their plans and they count on receiving the federal funding.

The bill mirrors the amount that President Bush recommended in his 2006 budget. It is about $28 billion more than what Bush proposed two years ago in an effort then to control federal spending.

So far, the bill also contains none of the Southern California projects found in last year's version, such as money to build a car-pool lane on the northbound 405 Freeway between West Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley or closing the 710 Freeway gap through South Pasadena to the 210-134 interchange.

Lawmakers, however, noted that last year the local projects didn't make it in until the last minute and said they fully expect these and others to receive funding.

Meanwhile, local officials said they remain concerned about possible changes that would allow more states and regions to become eligible for air-quality mitigation money. If that passes, it could drain about $160 million annually from the South Coast Air Quality Basin, and about $100 million from Los Angeles County alone.

Mark Pisano, executive director of the Southern California Association of Governments, said he is hopeful about the plan to increase California's rate of return on gas tax receipts, but only if that money doesn't come at the expense of air quality funding.

For the nation as a whole, the House bill also:

*Offers $10.3 billion in public transportation funding,

*Creates a $875 million program for state projects that make it easier for children to walk and bike to school,

*Provides $624 million in grants to help states combat impaired driving, and

*Provides $830 million for the construction of dedicated truck lanes.

The House is expected to vote on the bill early next month and then it awaits Senate action. Miller, for one, said believes Congress will finish the job soon.

"The election is behind us. Let's look at good policy," he said.