Legislation Reimbursing Federal Employees for Ride Sharing Services Moves Forward

Legislation that would require formal regulations to be issued to reimburse federal employees for using ride sharing services has cleared a Senate Committee.

A bill that would require specific regulations to reimburse federal employees for using ride sharing services when traveling for work has cleared its next legislative hurdle.

The Modernizing Government Travel Act (H.R. 274) began its journey in the House. It passed the House on January 10 and has now passed through the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee who approved it on a voice vote. It must now go to the full Senate for consideration.

The bill would require the General Services Administration to make regulations clarifying that federal workers may be reimbursed for using ride sharing services such as Uber or Lyft when on official travel.

Federal employees are currently allowed to use ride sharing services when traveling, however, the lawmakers behind the bill are concerned that federal agencies and their employees might not be aware of their options since GSA has not been required to provide formal guidance. The proponents of the bill also say that greater use of ride sharing services would save money because ride sharing services are often less expensive than taxis or other means of transportation.

Companion legislation was also introduced in the Senate. Now that the Senate appears to be advancing the House version, it is unknown what, if anything, might happen to the Senate version of the bill.

About the Author

Ian Smith is one of the co-founders of FedSmith.com. He has over 20 years of combined experience in media and government services, having worked at two government contracting firms and an online news and web development company prior to his current role at FedSmith.