[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 5, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E246]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                INTRODUCTION OF THE BICYCLE COMMUTER ACT

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                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 5, 2019

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, today I introduced the Bicycle 
Commuter Act of 2019. This bipartisan legislation will reinstate the 
bicycle commuter tax benefit, modify the benefit to be used in concert 
with parking and transit benefits, and expand the bicycle benefit to 
include bikeshare.
  The bicycle is the most efficient form of urban transportation ever 
devised. Cycling reduces carbon emissions, provides enormous physical 
and mental health benefits, and is one of the most cost-effective modes 
of transportation available. Communities across the country have 
realized these benefits and substantially invested in building better 
bike networks and improving facilities for biking to work. Across 
America, more than 100 communities of all sizes have installed or 
permitted bikeshare systems, supporting a nationwide network of nearly 
5,000 stations, more than 100,000 bikes, and more than 120 million 
trips since 2010. These investments are one of the reasons that rates 
of biking to work have nearly doubled since 2000 while driving and 
public transportation rates have increased by 16 percent and 26 
percent, respectively.
  Despite these impressive developments, there is currently no commuter 
tax benefit for biking to work. Public Law 115-97 suspended the bicycle 
commuting reimbursement benefit through 2025, taking away a valuable 
financial incentive for people who choose to bike to work. The Bicycle 
Commuter Act reverses the benefit's suspension, changes the structure 
of the benefit to be more flexible to, and adds bikeshare as eligible 
for the benefit. Employees don't commute the same way every day and our 
commuter tax benefits should reflect that. The Bicycle Commuter Act 
provides the flexibility that people need while also incentivizing a 
clean and healthy mode of transportation: the bicycle.

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