FT 16.10 - Green Commuting Act (DEBATING)

[OBD]

AN ACT
to promote the use of public transport, or greener solutions, to commute to work.

Section 1. (Title and definition)
i. The title of this Act shall be the « Green Commuting Act ».
ii. The domicile refers to the place where the employee resides during the workweek.
iii. The employer refers to any company, public or private, operating in Fremont, employing more than 20 employees.

Section 2. (Reimbursement of transit passes)
i. The employer must reimburse part of the costs of transit passes used by his employees to make the commute from their domicile to their workplace.
ii. Only passes are covered, whether annual, monthly or weekly.
iii. Reimbursement is up to 50% of the cheapest fare, for the shortest route.
iv. The reimbursement from the employer is made monthly, including for annual passes,

   a. at the latest at the end of the month following the validation of the pass.

   b. upon presentation of proof by the employee.
v. The amount of reimbursement is indicated on the payslip.

Section 3. (Reimbursement of personal transport costs)
i. In the event that the employee has no public transport solution for the commute, the employer must reimburse the costs of supplying rechargeable electric or hybrid cars up to a limit of $200 per year and per employee.

Section 4. (Other mobility options)
i. The employer will reimburse the transportation costs of his employees when they use an alternative means of transport.
ii. The following means of transport are concerned :

- bicycle 

- car sharing
- shared transport (rental of electric or hybrid cars, bikes, scooters)
- public transport (without passes)

iii. The reimbursement of these options may not exceed $400 per year, per employee

Section 5. (Tax exemption)
i. The benefit to the employee resulting from the coverage by the employer of transportation costs is exempt from State income tax.

Section 6. (Implementation)
i. This legislation will take effect on January 1, 2021

Sponsor: Tirnam (Fianna Fremont - Labor, California)

Sponsor, speak!

[Tirnam]

Commuting by car is bad. It's bad for your time, especially if you live in a big city - the average commuter in Los Angeles will spend 119 hours a year stuck in traffic. It's bad for your health - high stress, which can cause high blood pressure, headaches,…. It's bad for the environment, the transport sector is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, traffic has a very bad impact on air pollution which causes widespread illness, ...

The purpose of this bill is to encourage those who can to take public transportation. And for those who have no alternative to their car, this bill offers an additional incentive (after the bonus) to buy a green vehicle.

[OBD]

I definitely like this bill. Couple things though, no idea what a 'domicile' is, and I think it'd be difficult to calculate the transportation costs for Section IV - like, does the employer have to pay for the cost of the employee's bike, and pay for all repairs for said bike? Things could get out of control pretty fast.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

no idea what a 'domicile' is

It means place of residence, basically.

I think it'd be difficult to calculate the transportation costs for Section IV - like, does the employer have to pay for the cost of the employee's bike, and pay for all repairs for said bike?

Indeed, some clarification would be useful here.

[Tirnam]

no idea what a 'domicile' is

It means place of residence, basically.

I think it'd be difficult to calculate the transportation costs for Section IV - like, does the employer have to pay for the cost of the employee's bike, and pay for all repairs for said bike?

Indeed, some clarification would be useful here.

Well that's the idea basically. But I get your point. We could imagine some restrictions: the employee would only be eligible for reimbursement if he uses his bicycle at least half the time to get to work. Or we could limit the reimbursement to 50% of the costs.

[OBD]

Bump.

[Tirnam]

In order to answer the concern raised by the Speaker and the First Minister, I propose to amend section 4, iii.

AN ACT
to promote the use of public transport, or greener solutions, to commute to work.

Section 1. (Title and definition)
i. The title of this Act shall be the « Green Commuting Act ».
ii. The domicile refers to the place where the employee resides during the workweek.
iii. The employer refers to any company, public or private, operating in Fremont, employing more than 20 employees.

Section 2. (Reimbursement of transit passes)
i. The employer must reimburse part of the costs of transit passes used by his employees to make the commute from their domicile to their workplace.
ii. Only passes are covered, whether annual, monthly or weekly.
iii. Reimbursement is up to 50% of the cheapest fare, for the shortest route.
iv. The reimbursement from the employer is made monthly, including for annual passes,

   a. at the latest at the end of the month following the validation of the pass.

   b. upon presentation of proof by the employee.
v. The amount of reimbursement is indicated on the payslip.

Section 3. (Reimbursement of personal transport costs)
i. In the event that the employee has no public transport solution for the commute, the employer must reimburse the costs of supplying rechargeable electric or hybrid cars up to a limit of $200 per year and per employee.

Section 4. (Other mobility options)
i. The employer will reimburse the transportation costs of his employees when they use an alternative means of transport.
ii. The following means of transport are concerned :

- bicycle 

- car sharing
- shared transport (rental of electric or hybrid cars, bikes, scooters)
- public transport (without passes)

iii. The reimbursement of these options is made upon presentation of proof, up to 50% of the costs incurred and up to a maximum of $400 per year, per employee.

Section 5. (Tax exemption)
i. The benefit to the employee resulting from the coverage by the employer of transportation costs is exempt from State income tax.

Section 6. (Implementation)
i. This legislation will take effect on January 1, 2021

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

The amendment looks good to me.

[OBD]

No objections here.

[Tirnam]

If no one objects the amendment we can maybe move to a final vote?

[OBD]

I'd be down. Vote opened. 48 hours.

Aye.

[Tirnam]

Aye

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Aye

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Aye.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

With four members in favor and one not voting, the resolution carries.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

AN ACT
to promote the use of public transport, or greener solutions, to commute to work.

Section 1. (Title and definition)
i. The title of this Act shall be the « Green Commuting Act ».
ii. The domicile refers to the place where the employee resides during the workweek.
iii. The employer refers to any company, public or private, operating in Fremont, employing more than 20 employees.

Section 2. (Reimbursement of transit passes)
i. The employer must reimburse part of the costs of transit passes used by his employees to make the commute from their domicile to their workplace.
ii. Only passes are covered, whether annual, monthly or weekly.
iii. Reimbursement is up to 50% of the cheapest fare, for the shortest route.
iv. The reimbursement from the employer is made monthly, including for annual passes,

   a. at the latest at the end of the month following the validation of the pass.

   b. upon presentation of proof by the employee.
v. The amount of reimbursement is indicated on the payslip.

Section 3. (Reimbursement of personal transport costs)
i. In the event that the employee has no public transport solution for the commute, the employer must reimburse the costs of supplying rechargeable electric or hybrid cars up to a limit of $200 per year and per employee.

Section 4. (Other mobility options)
i. The employer will reimburse the transportation costs of his employees when they use an alternative means of transport.
ii. The following means of transport are concerned :

- bicycle 

- car sharing
- shared transport (rental of electric or hybrid cars, bikes, scooters)
- public transport (without passes)

iii. The reimbursement of these options is made upon presentation of proof, up to 50% of the costs incurred and up to a maximum of $400 per year, per employee.

Section 5. (Tax exemption)
i. The benefit to the employee resulting from the coverage by the employer of transportation costs is exempt from State income tax.

Section 6. (Implementation)
i. This legislation will take effect on January 1, 2021

[AustralianSwingVoter]

Nay ftr