Fringe benefit fraud raises red flags
There are two ways you can help the national Bicycle Commuter Act, which would extend the transportation fringe benefit to include bike commuters.
The first way is to write your congressman. The League of American Bicyclists has prepared an easy way to contact your representatives in Washington DC via email regarding the issue.
The second way is to contact the Bicycle Commuter Act's author US Rep. Earl Blumenauer if you're familiar with bike commuter benefits and how they have been successfully implemented.
Second try
This is the second time around for the Bicycle Commuter Act, which was refiled by Blumenauer on March 13, 2007, as H.R. 1498 (see bill status). The Portland Democrat and former congressman Mark Foley had submitted a similar bill in 2005, but it was pigeonholed in committee.
With a change in majority, there is new hope that the act will pass. Essentially, the act extends the transporation fringe benefit, now available to transit riders, to bicycle commuters. The League, which strongly supports the resolution, says it would provide a tax benefit to employers who offer cash reimbursements to an employee who commutes by bicycle, while helping defray the costs for the bicyclist.
Forty-three congressmen — 35 Democrats and 8 Republicans — co-sponsor the bill. To ask your congressman to support it, follow this link to the League advocacy center and type your Zip Code into the Take Action Now box.
Fringe fraud
In spite of the stronger support in Congress this time around, Blumenauer's office recently contacted BikePortland.com's Jonathan Maus for his readers' ideas about how the act should be implemented.
Transportation fringe benefits will certainly come under closer scrunity after the Government Accounting Office exposed widespread fraud in the transportation benefits system. Even though all the miscreants are federal government employees, Blumenauer's office realizes this will raise questions about administering the bike program.
BikePortland.com says the congressman needs to hear from people whose employers presently administer bike commuter programs to find out:
What form the benefit comes in, how it is used, and the oversight mechanism that's used to prevent abuse of the system.
If you're not currently involved in such a system, but have considered good ways to manage it, Blumenauer's office is also seeking your input.
You can either shoot your ideas or experiences over to BikePortland in a comment or contact Blumenauer's office.
Recent Comments