Transportation and Housing Choices for Gas Price Relief Act of 2008

Bill: 110-hr-6495
Sponsor: Rep. Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3]
Introduced: 2008-07-15 in the House
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Affordable housing
Bicycles
Block grants
Car pools
Commerce
Commuting
Consumer education
Cost of living adjustments
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Elementary and secondary education
Energy
Energy conservation
Environmental Protection
Federal aid to housing
Federal aid to transportation
Federal employees
Federal home loan banks
Federally-assisted loans
Fringe benefits
Government Operations and Politics
Government publicity
Housing and Community Development
Housing finance
Income tax
Indexing (Economic policy)
Infrastructure
Labor and Employment
Low-income housing
Mass rapid transit
Mortgages
Motor vehicle pollution control
Parking facilities
Rental housing
Science, Technology, Communications
Secondary education
Self-employed
Single family housing
Student transportation
Tax credits
Tax exclusion
Taxation
Telecommuting
Traffic congestion
Traffic engineering
Transportation engineering
Travel costs

Summary:
action_date: 2008-07-15
text: 
Transportation and Housing Choices for Gas Price Relief Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) carry out a competitive grant program that supports community efforts to invest in transportation alternatives and travel demand management strategies; and (2) award grants to eligible entities, giving priority to activity proposals for reducing single occupancy vehicle trips.
 
Provides certain formula grant funding for specified improvement activities to increase use of public transportation.
 
Requires the Secretary to award grants for a national consumer awareness program on the environmental, energy, and economic benefits of transportation alternatives to the single occupancy vehicle, including carpooling, vanpooling, transit, and bicycles.
 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a telework tax credit of up to $400 per year; (2) include a qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement as a qualified transportation fringe benefit, excludable from gross income; (3) equalize and increase to $200, with a modified cost-of-living adjustment, the tax exclusion for both transportation and parking fringe benefits; (4) make self-employed individuals eligible for transit pass fringe benefits; (5) include employer-established parking cash-out programs as qualified transportation fringe benefits; and (6) allow a vanpool (general business) tax credit.
 
Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to: (1) incorporate transportation costs associated with location of housing into affordability standards for allocating low-income housing tax credits related to rental assistance vouchers or other affordable housing programs; and (2) develop a model transportation cost field for Multiple Listing Services to measure transportation costs associated with the location of a home.
 
Amends the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) Charter Act and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) Act to include the use of location-efficient mortgages among their purposes.
 
Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to require the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency to establish graduated annual goals for the purchase by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac of location-efficient mortgages for single-family, owner-occupied homes.
 
Requires the Secretary of HUD to make grants to states to construct or acquire affordable housing that is location-efficient.
 
Amends the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) to include high schools in the safe routes to school program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-07-16
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
action_date: 2008-07-15
text: Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Financial Services, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2008-07-15
text: Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Financial Services, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2008-07-15
text: Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Financial Services, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2008-07-15
text: Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Financial Services, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2008-07-15
text: Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Financial Services, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2008-07-15
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H6475-6476, E1459-1460)
action_date: 2008-07-15
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2008-07-15
text: Introduced in House