Note: I'm currently on a family trip and not working normal hours. Email and message responses will be delayed and story and posting volumes here and on our social media accounts will not be at their usual levels until I return to Portland August 12th. Thanks for your patience and understanding. - Jonathan Maus, BikePortland Publisher and Editor
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.
[See below for YouTube version of McHenry’s statement.] Poster that accompanied a statement on the House floor by Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) who said bicycles were a, “19th century solution to a 21st century problem.”
(Note: The title of this post was originally, “Benefits fraud may stymie progress on Bike Commuter Act.” I changed it to better reflect the situation.). I just got an email from Congressman Earl Blumenauer’s legislative assistant Katie Drennan. She said that although there is considerable momentum for the Bike Commuter Act (42 co-sponsors so far), … Read more
Congressman Earl Blumenauer introducing his Bike Commuter Act at the House Office Building. Members of the Oregon contingent in the background.
Blumenauer at theSummit opening. Tomorrow morning, after a speech by Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar, Earl Blumenauer plans to re-introduce his Bike Commuter Benefits Act in a press conference on Capitol Hill. Blumenauer just finished a speech at the opening of the National Bike Summit and he hinted at this news when he confidently said, “With … Read more
If you think bicycle commuters deserve the same tax benefits from employers that already exist for drivers and transit users now is the time to make your voice heard. I just got this urgent call to action from Jessica Roberts at the BTA.
[I received this information from an inside source in the Oregon bike advocacy scene, I will post a link to the full press release when it is available online.] This just in from the office of Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore): ‘Conserve By Bike’ Provision Included in Energy Bill $6.2 Million Pilot Program Designed to Spur … Read more