I 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5338 

To prohibit the use of amounts in a Members’ Representational Allowance 

to provide any vehicle which does not use alternative fuels. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 10, 2006 

Mr. CLEAVER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on House Administration 

A BILL 

To prohibit the use of amounts in a Members’ Representational Allowance to provide any vehicle which does not 

use alternative fuels. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Congress Leads by 

5 Example through Alt-fuel Resources Act’’ or the ‘‘CLEAR 

6 Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

8 Congress finds the following: 

9 (1) The national average price of a gallon of 

10 gasoline has doubled in the past 3 years. 


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1 (2) The need to end the Nation’s dependency 

2 on foreign oil is a vital component of homeland secu3 rity. 

4 (3) The world’s supply of oil is limited and un5 stable, and therefore the need to develop new energy 

6 technologies is pressing. 

7 (4) Alternative sources of energy such as eth8 anol, hydrogen, and electricity have been proven ef9 fective and efficient in powering passenger vehicles. 

10 (5) There have been several pieces of legislation 

11 introduced in the House of Representatives to ad12 dress the growing problem of high gas prices and 

13 the need to utilize alternative sources of energy. 

14 (6) Members of Congress should follow their 

15 own example of setting forth legislation that encour16 ages the use of alternatively fueled vehicles. 

17 (7) In 2005 the total cost of automobile leases 

18 for Members of Congress surpassed $1 million, and 

19 a collective switch to alternative fuel vehicles, hybrid 

20 vehicles, or vehicles powered by bio-fuels could po21 tentially save American taxpayers thousands of dol22 lars annually. 

23 (8) The General Services Administration has al24 ready purchased over 68,000 alternative fueled vehiVerDate Aug 31 2005 20:54 May 13, 2006 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5338.IH H5338

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1 cles for the use of Federal customers, more than any 

2 other organization in the United States. 

3 SEC. 3. PROHIBITING USE OF MEMBERS’ REPRESENTA4 TIONAL ALLOWANCE FOR VEHICLES NOT 

5 USING ALTERNATIVE FUELS. 

6 (a) PROHIBITION.—No portion of a Members’ Rep7 resentational Allowance may be used to provide any indi8 vidual with a vehicle, including providing an individual 

9 with a vehicle under a long-term lease, which is not an 

10 alternative fuel vehicle. 

11 (b) ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLES DESCRIBED.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—In this section, an ‘‘alter13 native fuel vehicle’’ means any of the following: 

14 (A) A vehicle treated as an alternative 

15 fuels vehicle by the Administrator of General 

16 Services under standards established by the Ad17 ministrator. 

18 (B) Any other vehicle powered by alter19 native fuel or synthetic fuel. 

20 (C) Any other vehicle powered in whole or 

21 in part by— 

22 (i) flexible-fuel operating systems; 

23 (ii) bio-fuel operating systems; 

24 (iii) electrical operating systems; or 


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1 (iv) hybrid-electrical operating sys2 tems. 

3 (2) OTHER DEFINITIONS.—In paragraph (1)— 

4 (A) the term ‘‘alternative fuel’’ has the 

5 meaning given such term in section 301(2) of 

6 the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 

7 13211(2)); 

8 (B) the term ‘‘bio-fuel’’ means any fuel 

9 containing any organic matter that is available 

10 on a renewable or recurring basis, including ag11 ricultural crops and trees, wood and wood 

12 wastes and residues, plants (including aquatic 

13 plants), grasses, residues, fibers, animal wastes, 

14 municipal wastes, and other waste materials; 

15 and 

16 (C) the term ‘‘synthetic fuel’’ means any 

17 fuel obtained from coal or from natural gas, or 

18 derived from resources such as oil shale, tar 

19 sand, or waste plastics. 

20 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Subsection (a) shall apply 

21 with respect to the Members’ Representational Allowance 

22 for fiscal year 2007 and each succeeding fiscal year. 

Æ 


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