Welcome to my special coverage of Congressman Earl Blumenauer’s attempt to add a tax benefit for bike commuters to the U.S. tax code.
When we interviewed U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election he said, “If four years from now the places that can make the most advantage of transportation investments don’t get that help, that’s going to be not just a missed opportunity in terms of safety and economic benefits of transportation … Read more
Rep. Earl Blumenauer at a reception this morning on Capitol Hill.(Photo © J. Maus) When the Bike Commuter Benefit Act passed back in October, it was somewhat of a shallow victory for advocates who had pushed for its passage for seven long years. Not only did it pass as a ploy to build support for … Read more
Getting paid to ride to work isn’t that easy…yet.(Photo © J. Maus) I’ve gotten many emails over the past few weeks wondering why I haven’t covered the Bike Commute Tax Benefit that became law on January 1. One reason is that I’m just not all that enthused about it; and it turns out I’m not … Read more
[Via BikingBis.com] After news broke about the passage of the bike commuter tax provision in the recent financial bailout bill, many commenters had questions about how it would work. To help answer those questions, the League of American Bicyclists has published a list of Frequently Asked Questions. I’ve pasted excerpts from each question below:
Blumenauer at the unveiling of his Gas Price Relief Act, one of manypieces of legislation that included a bike commuter tax break over the years.(Photo: J. Maus) What a long, strange trip it’s been for Congressman Earl Blumenauer and his Bike Commuter Act. The House Democrat is a former City Commissioner of Transportation in Portland … Read more
[See below for updates: Hint, Blumenauer is saying he won’t support the bailout package.] “The (bailout) bill now includes a… tax benefit for bicycle commuting sought by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat, also a “no” vote on Monday.”— from an article in the Baltimore Sun Hoping to garner votes from House members who previously … Read more
John Lim (R-Gresham) This morning’s Gresham Outlook newspaper has a story about new legislation that has been drafted by Oregon State Rep. John Lim (R-Gresham) that would give a tax break to bike commuters. According to the Outlook, the current draft language of the bill says, “a taxpayer who rides a bicycle to work at … Read more
“I think it’s the best chance the Bike Commuter Act has had so far in the Senate.”— Katie Drennan, a legislative assistant for Congressman Earl Blumenauer For the fourth time this session, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that includes a tax benefit people who ride their bikes to work. The Bike … Read more
Bike legislation is moving forward in D.C.(Photo © J. Maus) House Congressional Resolution 305, also known as the National Bike Bill, has passed through a vote by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this week. The resolution — which was introduced by Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) back in February — recognizes the importance of bicycling … Read more
Now it’s onto the Senate. More on this story was published yesterday. Official press release from Blumenauer’s office is below:
Blumenauer, shown here at the National Bike Summit last year, hopes his Bike Commuter Act will finally fly with lawmakers.(Photo © J. Maus) On the heels of record profits by the big five oil companies, U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Portland) will once again try to enact a tax benefit for bike commuters and close the … Read more
Congressman Earl Blumenauer introducing the Bike Commuter Act on Capitol Hill last March.(Photo © Jonathan Maus) The bike commuter tax benefit — which was introduced to Congress by Earl Blumenauer last March and passed a House vote last week — has been stripped out of the Energy Bill by the Senate. The U.S. Senate passed … Read more
Comment of the Week: We need more public restrooms downtown