Federal Transportation Bill: Senate votes to add Bike Share to bicycle commuter benefit
Work on the federal transportation reauthorization bill continues to move forward in the U.S. Senate. It appears now that Senate leadership has reached agreement on the bill and debate and votes on the bill and amendment will happen over the next several days.
Overall the Senate bill looks like it will create a six-year policy framework but will only provide funding for three years. In short--it's a three year bill. The House recently approved a six-month extension of the current federal transportation bill, so we may not see the HOuse & Senate versions of reauthorization put together to create a final bil for six months or more. But the current debates and votes are likely to solidify the Senate's version of the bill.
Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee approved a small but important amendment--to allow Bike Share costs to be used as part of the bicycle commmuter benefit/tax break for employees. This should be helpful for Bike Share programs and help make the bicycle commuter benefit more practical for employees and employers.
The Finance Committee's summary of the benefit, approved in Tuesday's hearing, reads:
The Chairman’s modification expands the present-law exclusion for qualified bicycle commuting reimbursements. Under present law, the exclusion applies to employer reimbursements of expenses incurred for the purchase of a bicycle and bicycle improvements, repairs and storage, by an employee who regularly uses the bicycle for commuting. The Chairman’s modification extends the exclusion to employer reimbursements of expenses incurred for a bicycle-share program by an employee who regularly uses the program for commuting. The Chairman’s modification applies to employer reimbursements for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2014, and before January 1, 2017.
Recent important additions to the bill include a Complete Streets amendment (over a decade in the making) and requirement for Amtrak to consider bicycle roll-on.
Key issues that look like they will now be decided by floor amendments:
- TIGER grant funding. TIGER has been one of the most important new programs encouraging a multi-modal approach to transportation planning. An early Senate proposal was to change this program to be entirely focussed on freight movement, freezing out bike, ped, and transit proposals. That idea was nixed in the Senate Commerce Committee Hearing. We understand an amendment ot make TIGER a regular, ongoing part of federal transportation policy will be offered on the floor.
- Local control of federal transportation funding for smaller metro areas. Currently large Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOS - in Missouri the large MPOs are Kansas City and St. Louis) have a considerable degree of autonomy in setting their own local transportation priorities and goals, and using federal transportation funds to achieve them. But smaller MPOs (in Missouri: Springfield, St Joseph, Columbia, Jefferson City, Joplin, and Cape Girardeau) don't have this degree of local control. Instead, their funding is controlled by the state DOT, which is most often very resistance to local priorities for biking, walking, and transit funding. This amendment changes the balance of power by putting more decision-making power in the hands of these local communities and their elected officials.
Read more about the local control amendment here.
These and other issues moving forward in the federal transportation reauthorization are issues we work on during our annual visit to Washington with the National Bike Summit and throughout the year in cooperation with our local and national allies.
What are we working for?
What is our position on the federal transportation authorization?
- Pedestrian and bicycle needs should be taken into account in every project that receives federal funding (ie, Complete Streets).
- Walking and bicycling need a fair share of funding. Bicycling and walking need only a very small percentage of transportation funding, but when biking and walking get the 1-2% they need, they thrive. We support increasing biking/ped funding to 2012 levels--before the (approx 1/3) cut bike/ped funding received with the passage of MAP-21.
- Improve funding and create measurable goals for reducing bicycle and pedestrian injuries and fatalities--including support for a national Vision Zero act.
- Improve input of local communities and citizens in determining transportation goals and priorities. In particular, we support a stronger role for small MPOs (Metropolitan Planning Organizations) and RPCs (Regional Planning Commissions) in setting local transportation priorities. At the local level, Americans very much support better, safer bicycling and walking in their communities, and when local citizens have real input into transportation priorities, bicycling and walking rise to the forefront. When unelected bureaucrats set priorities, bicycling and walking lose.
More details about the national bike/ped agenda in Congress here.
MANY THANKS to the hundreds and thousands of you who have contacted your members of Congress about these issues. When you speak up to our elected officials, it really does make a difference!
Working for a world-class transportation system in Missouri and improving safety for all road users are two key priorities in MoBikeFed's Vision for Bicycling and Walking in Missouri.
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