Ten things you may have missed Wednesday from the world of business

WASHINGTON — In a rare burst of bipartisanship, the House moved Wednesday to boost Amtrak’s popular Boston-Washington service while giving states more say in the routes they subsidize. The bill, approved 316 to 101, authorizes $7.2 billion in federal subsidies for passenger rail, including $1.7 billion a year over four years for Amtrak. That’s nearly the same as current spending levels. But a Democratic-Republican compromise separates Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor service from long-distance routes around the country. That allows Amtrak to use profits from the money-making corridor for improvements that could speed up trains and enhance service on the route. Amtrak has long complained about having to use Northeast Corridor profits to subsidize 15 unprofitable long-distance routes elsewhere.
— ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — The US economy was growing at a moderate pace through mid-February, the Federal Reserve said, despite a severe winter that disrupted activity in some regions. Six of its 12 regions reported moderate growth, with modest gains seen in most other areas. The Boston district, which covers New England, said businesses remained upbeat despite a series of snowstorms. Most New England retailers and manufacturers reported that sales grew from a year earlier. Software and information technology services firms also reported increases. Real estate firms said they had a strong December, though the residential market weakened in January. Staffing firms, however, slipped amid weather-related shutdowns. — GLOBE STAFF

CONCORD, N.H. — A Senate committee recommends more study of a bill to provide a state-backed $28 million bond to help redevelop a storied North Country hotel. Last week, Les Otten, the Maine businessman seeking to turn the shuttered Balsams resort into a world-class, four-season destination, said his plan was contingent on a state-backed bond, and construction on the $143 million first phase of the project could begin in June. On Wednesday, the Public and Municipal Affairs Committee voted 5 to 0 to send the bill to study. The Balsams, where the nation’s first presidential primary ballots are traditionally cast, closed in 2010 after about 150 years. Otten’s plan would renovate existing buildings and build a 400-room hotel, conference center, spa, and retreat. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

TRENTON, N.J. — A man can’t seek damages for burns he suffered while bowing his head in prayer in 2010 over a sizzling steak fajita skillet at an Applebee’s restaurant, a New Jersey appellate court said, upholding a lower court’s dismissal of the man’s lawsuit. The customer claimed a waitress did not warn him the dish was hot; the lower court said it posed an ‘‘open and obvious’’ danger. The man said he felt burning in his left eye and on his face after a grease pop, panicked, and knocked the food on his lap, causing more burns, though no scarring.
— ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tufts Health Plan is joining a network of five hospitals to start a health insurance company in New Hampshire. Massachusetts’s third-largest health insurer has agreed with Granite Healthcare Network to be “equal partners” in a new insurance company, Tufts Health Freedom Plan, which aims to sell insurance starting this fall for 2016. It’s not the first time Tufts Health has ventured outside Massachusetts; in the 1990s, Tufts Health Plan of New England sold insurance in New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island. Financial problems shut it down in 2000. Tufts Health’s decision to reenter New Hampshire comes a few years after Harvard Pilgrim began offering its plans there. — JACK NEWSHAM

An activist hedge fund with large investments in Staples Inc. and Office Depot Inc., two office supply giants that plan to merge, is urging managers to improve the board that will lead the combined businesses. Starboard Value LP, which has been critical of Staples management, wrote to the board of the Framingham-based retailer Wednesday to praise the merger agreement but warned that Staples executives must do better than they have in the past to get the most out of the combination. Starboard owns 4.5 percent of Staples and nearly 10 percent of Office Depot. In the letter, Smith said Starboard believes the companies are underestimating the cost savings that could be achieved and that Staples stock could be worth $23 to $37 per share after the deal closes. The stock was at $16.59 Wednesday. — STEVEN SYRE

SAN FRANCISCO — Uber Technologies is buying the digital mapping specialist deCarta in a deal that may help the ride-hailing service lessen its dependence on Google and Apple technology. The acquisition will provide Uber drivers with another way to find the people who are summoning rides with the company’s app and deliver them to their destinations. The deal comes a month after an unconfirmed report that Google Inc. is planning a rival ride-hailing service that would use driverless cars. For now, Uber plans to blend deCarta’s technology with the maps its already uses from Google and Apple. Financial terms were not disclosed.
— ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN FRANCISCO — A senior partner at a Silicon Valley venture capital firm testified Wednesday that he was a loyal supporter of a woman who accuses the company of sex discrimination. Billionaire John Doerr took the stand for a second day. The lawsuit alleges women were denied chances to advance at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers; it was filed by Ellen Pao, who says she was denied a chance to advance and fired in 2012 after she complained. Doerr also testified he fought for Pao to stay at the company. ‘‘Ellen is very talented,’’ he said. ‘‘I felt that she ought to have another shot.’’ Doerr said he provided Pao with two coaches, including a speech coach, to help improve her skills, but she continued to have problems. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

DETROIT — Toyota announced sweeping management changes that consolidate power with North America chief executive Jim Lentz (left) and promote some US executives to senior posts in Japan. Lentz, who led sales and marketing, will head Toyota’s North American manufacturing operations April 1. North American engineering and research operations will report to him. Toyota promoted North American communications chief Julie Hamp to chief communications officer for the entire company. She’s Toyota’s first female managing officer. Chris Reynolds was named a managing officer and chief legal officer; he’s the first African-American in the posts. He was US general counsel. — ASSOCIATED PRESS