Lawmakers pave the way for transportation for government employees
Washington, DC – Yesterday evening, the Senate approved the Modernizing Government Travel Act, sending the 21st Century legislation to the President’s desk to be signed into law. The bi-partisan effort led by Representatives Will Hurd (R-Texas) and Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) will allow federal employees to be reimbursed for ride sharing services such as Uber, Lyft, and bike-share programs when traveling on official business.
“This bill will finally move the needle toward a more advanced and responsive government, and make the public sector more attractive when attracting top talent,” said Hurd, who chairs the House Subcommittee on IT, and has been an advocate for modernizing federal IT and embracing new technology. “It creates greater flexibility, saves taxpayer dollars, and allows federal agencies to catch up with the 21st century economy.”
“We need to ensure that cost-effective transportation options are available to the thousands of federal employees in Massachusetts, and across the country, on official travel,” said Congressman Seth Moulton. “That’s exactly what this bipartisan bill does. By passing it today and sending it to the president’s desk, the Senate has agreed to our idea that we can save taxpayer dollars by bringing government travel into the sharing economy.”
“We applaud the passage of legislation that embraces transportation network companies (TNCs), which are benefiting communities across the country,” said Joseph Okpaku, Lyft’s Vice President of Government Relations. “Allowing federal workers to choose innovative transportation solutions like Lyft when traveling for work is a great way to encourage more efficient use of resources and ensure that government workers have access to safe, affordable, and reliable transportation options.”
“We appreciate all of the hard work the sponsors have done to pass The Modernizing Government Act and make it easier for federal employees to get from point A to point B in an efficient and cost effective way,” said Niki Christoff, Uber’s Head of Federal Affairs. “Uber looks forward to providing the same reliable and convenient transportation solutions to federal employees while they’re working as we do for people around the world.”
