Columbus — Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked plans to allow speed cameras in construction zones and to give police the power to stop motorists for not buckling up.

The GOP Senate majority also slowed down what had been a fast-moving, $250 million plan for a conventional-speed passenger rail line connecting Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati.

All of the initiatives were part of the state's $7.6 billion transportation budget, which a Senate committee debated into Tuesday night, with final approval expected as early as today.

The Democratic-controlled House had approved language in the budget that would have allowed Gov. Ted Strickland's administration to set up a pilot program to use speed cameras in construction zones while work was being done. But Republicans opposed the program.

Sen. Tom Patton, a Strongsville Republican who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, labeled the cameras "Big Brother in the sky."

He said tickets issued as a result of the cameras would have to be reviewed by a trooper before being sent to motorists.

"I'd rather see that trooper in a car," Patton said.

House Democrats also wanted to make seat belt violations a primary traffic offense, meaning police officers could stop motorists for not buckling up. Under current law, drivers must be pulled over for another offense before they can be ticketed for not wearing a seat belt.

Ditching the seat belt provision will come at a cost. Ohio was slated to receive a one-time payoff of $26 million from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for passing the primary-offense bill.

"If its a good idea, then why do we need to be coerced?" Patton asked.

He said Ohio ranks ninth in the nation in seat belt usage. "Law enforcement officials didn't ask for it," Patton said. "They didn't think we needed it."

Republicans did allow the state to move forward in competing with other states for part of $8 billion in federal stimulus money for passenger rail projects. But before those dollars could be spent, state officials would have to seek another green light from lawmakers.

"We let them very aggressively go after the funding at the federal level, but they have to come back and provide more information about what the construction costs, startup costs and operating costs are going to be," Patton said. "We thought it was a bit ambitious."

The tentative go-ahead was a slight retreat for Republican lawmakers who looked to be leaning toward derailing the rail plan altogether in recent weeks.

The committee's ranking Democrat, Cleveland Sen. Nina Turner, said she was concerned that the Republicans approach wouldn't fly with the federal government.

"Is the Obama administration really going to allow us to compete?" she asked. "The Strickland administration is still working on it, but I think that we run a risk with this."

Because of the changes made in the Senate, the transportation budget bill will probably end up in a conference committee to iron out the differences with the House version.