[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 10, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H279-H280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   MODERNIZING GOVERNMENT TRAVEL ACT

  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 274) to provide for reimbursement for the use of modern 
travel services by Federal employees traveling on official Government 
business, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 274

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Modernizing Government 
     Travel Act''.

     SEC. 2. FEDERAL EMPLOYEE REIMBURSEMENT FOR USE OF MODERN 
                   TRAVEL SERVICES.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Administrator of General Services 
     shall prescribe regulations under section 5707 of title 5, 
     United States Code, to provide for the reimbursement for the 
     use of a transportation network company or innovative 
     mobility technology company by any Federal employee traveling 
     on official business under subchapter I of chapter 57 of such 
     title, except that the Director of the Administrative Office 
     of the United States Courts shall prescribe such regulations 
     with respect to employees of the judicial branch of the 
     Government.
       (b) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Innovative mobility technology company.--The term 
     ``innovative mobility technology company'' means an 
     organization, including a corporation, limited liability 
     company, partnership, sole proprietorship, or any other 
     entity, that applies technology to expand and enhance 
     available transportation choices, better manage demand for 
     transportation services, and provide alternatives to driving 
     alone.
       (2) Transportation network company.--The term 
     ``transportation network company''--
       (A) means a corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, 
     or other entity, that uses a digital network to connect 
     riders to drivers affiliated with the entity in order for the 
     driver to transport the rider using a vehicle owned, leased, 
     or otherwise authorized for use by the driver to a point 
     chosen by the rider; and
       (B) does not include a shared-expense carpool or vanpool 
     arrangement that is not intended to generate profit for the 
     driver.

     SEC. 3. REPORT ON TRANSPORTATION COSTS.

       Section 5707(c) of title 5, United States Code, is amended 
     to read as follows:
       ``(c)(1) Not later than November 30 of each year, the head 
     of each agency shall submit to the Administrator of the 
     General Services, in a format prescribed by the Administrator 
     and approved by the Director the Office of Management and 
     Budget--
       ``(A) data on total agency payments for such items as 
     travel and transportation of people, average costs and 
     durations of trips, and purposes of official travel;
       ``(B) data on estimated total agency payments for employee 
     relocation; and
       ``(C) an analysis of the total costs of transportation 
     service by type, and the total number of trips utilizing each 
     transportation type for purposes of official travel.
       ``(2) The Administrator of the General Services shall make 
     the data submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) publically 
     available upon receipt.
       ``(3) Not later than January 31 of each year, the 
     Administrator of the General Services shall submit to the 
     Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the 
     Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House of 
     Representatives, and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
     Governmental Affairs of the Senate--
       ``(A) an analysis of the data submitted pursuant to 
     paragraph (1) for the agencies listed in section 901(b) of 
     title 31 and a survey of such data for each other agency; and
       ``(B) a description of any new regulations promulgated or 
     changes to existing regulations authorized under this 
     section.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Utah (Mr. Chaffetz) and the gentleman from California (Mr. DeSaulnier) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous remarks on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Utah?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 274, the Modernizing Government Travel Act, is a 
bipartisan bill sponsored by Congressman Seth Moulton of Massachusetts. 
Mr. Will Hurd of Texas and Congressman Mark Meadows of North Carolina 
have all come together on this bill. It is a good bill.
  This bill came up in the 114th Congress. The same bill passed through 
the committee by regular order, and then in a close vote--much like the 
Clemson-Alabama game last night--when we voted on this bill last 
session was 415-0. I think there was a pretty good sense from the past 
Congress that is a good bill, and it should pass.
  Federal employees' current transportation options on official travel 
are limited. While some agencies allow employees to be reimbursed for 
the use of sharing economy services, such as Lyft or Uber, not all of 
them do. As a result, the whole Federal Government does not benefit 
from the cost savings that can occur while being associated with these 
services.
  The Modernizing Government Travel Act allows the Federal Government 
to reap the benefits of the sharing economy. The bill ensures that new 
transportation services as they emerge, Federal employees can quickly 
take advantage of the efficiencies of the new technologies that may be 
offered.
  By opening up a new market for transportation services, H.R. 274 will 
also help spur innovation and competition, creating greater cost 
savings. We have some 2 million Federal employees. So this is an 
important part and it shouldn't be glanced over. There could be 
considerable savings along the way.
  We must ensure that there is accountability for travel expenditures. 
Our committee, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and 
other watchdog groups outside of government are looking at these 
expenses. We have a duty and obligation to ensure that we are dealing 
with Federal taxpayer dollars responsibly. This bill mandates that 
agencies report their travel costs for each type of travel service to 
the General Services Administration, the GSA. The GSA must publish that 
data, helping make the Federal Government more transparent and 
accountable. The GSA will also report to Congress on agency official 
travel costs in order to make sure that they inform future 
transportation policy decisions. I urge passage of the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DeSAULNIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I was trying to think of a BYU football analogy to go with the 
Clemson-Alabama analogy, but I haven't been able to come up with one 
yet. I will work on it.
  I rise in support of H.R. 274, the Modernizing Government Travel Act, 
as amended. I appreciate the good work of Representatives Moulton, 
Hurd, Meadows, Bustos, and Swalwell on this bipartisan measure.
  H.R. 274 would expand the transportation options for Federal 
employees on official government travel by allowing them to be 
reimbursed for the use of ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft. 
This bill would also allow for the use of future mobility technologies 
not yet known or available to be covered as by reimbursable travel 
expenses. The General Services Administration would be directed to 
issue implementing regulations. The bill would require Federal agencies 
to submit to GSA detailed information on their travel costs, including 
breakdowns of costs by transportation type by November 30 of each year.
  GSA would be required to submit annual reports to Congress containing 
an analysis or survey of agencies' travel costs as well as descriptions 
of new or revised regulations.

[[Page H280]]

  H.R. 274 is a commonsense, good government bill, and I urge my 
colleagues to join me in supporting it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hurd), the cosponsor of this bill and someone 
who has been very involved in this subject.
  Mr. HURD. Mr. Speaker, it is way past time that our government 
reconsiders the way that it views technology. Adherence to decades-old 
policy regarding technology costs our taxpayers billions of dollars, 
stifles creativity, and needlessly prevents our government from 
utilizing private sector technologies.
  This bill, the Modernizing Government Travel Act, is simple. It will 
allow Federal employees to utilize the services of innovative companies 
while on official travel. Last Congress, as the chairman alluded to, 
this bill passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support, 415-0.
  Private sector companies have had a tremendous impact on the way that 
people travel, and we should allow our government to recognize these 
changes. By widening the scope of reimbursable forms of transportation, 
we are encouraging the adoption of innovative technologies and 
promoting competition.
  The bill also requires agencies to report what type of transportation 
their employees are taking while on official travel, and this data will 
be publicly available, thus increasing transparency and accountability 
in how taxpayer dollars are being spent.

                              {time}  1645

  H.R. 274, as amended, is a sensible piece of legislation that can 
help modernize our government and ensure that the United States is 
moving seamlessly into the 21st century.
  I want to thank my colleague, Representative Moulton, for his 
leadership on this important issue, as well as Representatives Meadows, 
Bustos, and Swalwell for their support for this bill. I ask my 
colleagues to join me in the support of H.R. 274.
  Mr. DeSAULNIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
my colleague from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Mr. Moulton).
  Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from 
California for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 274, the 
Modernizing Government Travel Act. This legislation is a bipartisan 
effort that demonstrates a consensus amongst all of us that the Federal 
Government has failed to keep pace with the technological advances and 
innovation that have come to define the 21st century.
  Despite the emergence of new technologies designed to improve the way 
we travel, today, some Federal employees are unable to be reimbursed 
for using more cost-effective, innovative modes of transportation when 
traveling on official business.
  Innovative ridesharing services supported by mobile apps have 
dramatically changed how we get from one place to another. Now, with 
just a few taps on a phone, we can access a variety of new 
transportation options like rideshare, carshare, and bikeshare that 
complement rapid transit, take more cars off our congested roads, and 
reduce fuel emissions. According to a recent study, 52 percent of 
people using transit for work-related travel chose to use ride-hailing 
services and other innovative technologies.
  While the General Services Administration allows agencies to 
authorize the use of these transportation options by Federal employees, 
it has not nor is it required by law to issue comprehensive guidance 
across the Federal Government.
  H.R. 274 would require the General Services Administration to 
implement regulations to allow Federal employees to use transportation 
options like rideshare and bikeshare for official travel. The GSA 
Administrator would be required to submit annual reports to Congress on 
the implementation of these regulations and the resulting amount of 
government savings.
  I want to thank my friend and colleague, Representative Hurd, for 
working with me on this legislation, as well as Representatives 
Swalwell, Issa, Meadows, and Bustos for their support. This is truly a 
bipartisan effort that will increase the Federal Government's 
engagement in the sharing economy while saving taxpayer dollars.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. DeSAULNIER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Moulton, first and 
foremost, for his service to our country, serving in the armed 
services. We really do appreciate that. I can't thank him enough for 
that service. But I also appreciate him bringing forward this bill and 
his working with the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hurd) and the gentleman 
from North Carolina (Mr. Meadows).
  I appreciate what Mr. DeSaulnier and our ranking member on our 
committee, Mr. Cummings, have done, too, to help move this bill 
forward.
  So there was good, broad, bipartisan support, strong support in the 
114th Congress, passing unanimously, with 415 votes. I think it is 
worthy to bring this up early in the Congress and get on with the idea 
of saving money and taking advantage of technology, as Mr. Hurd said 
and as Mr. Moulton talked about as well, save some money and tap into 
the technology that is available to save money for the government and, 
ultimately, for the taxpayers. It is their money indeed. So I would 
urge its passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Chaffetz) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 274, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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