I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6008 
To provide transit benefits to Federal employees who use the services of 
transportation network companies within the national capital region, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 13, 2016 
Mr. MEADOWS (for himself, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mrs. COMSTOCK, and Mr. 
BEYER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Over-
sight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide transit benefits to Federal employees who use 
the services of transportation network companies within 
the national capital region, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Transit Benefits Modernization Act’’. 
(b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
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(1) The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit 
Authority (‘‘WMATA’’) provides approximately 2.3 
million Metrorail and Metrobus trips per year across 
the National Capital Region to Federal employees, 
commuters, and millions of visitors to the Nation’s 
capital. 
(2) Approximately 40 percent of WMATA peak- 
hour commuters are Federal employees. 
(3) WMATA began building its rail system in 
1969, currently serves 91 stations, and has 117 
miles of track. 
(4) 
The 
Federal 
Transit 
Administration 
(‘‘FTA’’) and the National Transportation Safety 
Board have found significant safety concerns result-
ing from a backlog of deferred maintenance. 
(5) WMATA has designed a plan, called 
SafeTrack, in an effort to address this backlog of 
deferred maintenance. 
(6) SafeTrack would close the system earlier on 
weekends and expand weekday maintenance by re-
ducing the number of rails in use at certain stations 
from two to one. 
(7) The plan includes 15 ‘‘Safety Surges’’ with 
around-the-clock single tracking or segment shut-
downs that will impact rush hour commutes. 
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(8) FTA’s review of SafeTrack’s first two 
‘‘safety surge’’ areas found a number of defects in 
the plan’s execution. 
(9) SafeTrack is scheduled to conclude in 
March 2017. 
(10) During SafeTrack, WMATA is encour-
aging customers to utilize other commuting options, 
including ride-sharing services. 
(11) WMATA has indicated that service disrup-
tions will continue to occur following SafeTrack as 
routine maintenance is needed. 
(12) The Federal Government, which is nega-
tively affected when employees cannot easily com-
mute to and from work, has an interest in assisting 
employees with alternate commuting options. 
SEC. 2. PROVIDING A FRINGE TRANSIT BENEFIT FOR USE 
OF TRANSPORTATION NETWORK COMPANIES. 
For purposes of section 132(a) of the Internal Rev-
enue Code of 1986, the use of a transportation network 
company by Federal employees as provided for in this Act 
shall be treated as a fringe benefit which qualifies as a 
qualified transportation fringe for the period established 
in section 3(a) of this Act. 
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SEC. 3. TRANSIT BENEFITS FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES FOR 
THE USE OF TRANSPORTATION NETWORK 
COMPANIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—During the period beginning on 
the date of enactment of this Act and ending on December 
31, 2018, any agency that has a program, including a pro-
gram established under section 7905 of title 5, United 
States Code, or Executive Order 13150 (April 21, 2000; 
65 Fed. Reg. 24613), to provide transit benefits to em-
ployees of the agency shall provide transit benefits to em-
ployees who use the services of any transportation network 
company within the Washington Metropolitan Area in the 
same manner as such agency provides transit benefits to 
employees who use public transportation services within 
the Washington Metropolitan Area. 
(b) REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) ELECTION.—Unless otherwise statutorily 
authorized, an employee may receive transit benefits 
under this section only if the employee agrees in 
writing to not accept any other transit or parking 
benefit offered by the head of any agency with a 
transit benefit program while receiving the transit 
benefits under this section. 
(2) LIMITATION.—The amount of the transit 
benefit provided to an employee under this section 
during any month for the use of services provided by 
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any transportation network company may not exceed 
the amount of the monthly average transit benefit 
received by the employee during the 6-month period 
immediately preceding the month during which an 
election is made under paragraph (1). 
(3) IMPLEMENTATION.—Transit benefits under 
this section shall be provided in a manner substan-
tially similar to the manner in which transit benefits 
are provided to employees who use mass transpor-
tation services. The head of any agency with a tran-
sit benefit program may consult with any transpor-
tation network company and any other head of any 
agency with a transit benefit program to establish 
the procedures necessary to provide transit benefits 
under this section. 
(4) SUBSTANTIATION.—The head of any agency 
with a transit benefit program, the Secretary of the 
Department of Transportation, and the Secretary of 
the Treasury shall, in connection with the establish-
ment of a process for implementing the transit ben-
efit for any transportation network company, work 
with any such transportation network company in 
establishing a process to substantiate the use of 
transit benefits by Federal employees using the ben-
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efit for services provided by a transportation net-
work company each month. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
(1) the term ‘‘Washington Metropolitan Area’’ 
means the District of Columbia; Montgomery, Prince 
George’s, Frederick, and Charles Counties in Mary-
land; Arlington, Fairfax, Loudon, and Prince Wil-
liam Counties in Virginia; and all cities now or here-
after existing in Maryland or Virginia within the ge-
ographic area bounded by the outer boundaries of 
the combined area of said counties; and 
(2) the term ‘‘transportation network company’’ 
means a corporation, partnership, sole proprietor-
ship, or other entity that uses a digital network to 
connect riders to drivers affiliated with the entity in 
order for a driver to provide transportation services 
to a rider. 
Æ 
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