September 14, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 158 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session
All in House sectionPrev13 of 73Next
CHARGING HELPS AGENCIES REALIZE GENERAL EFFICIENCIES ACT; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 158
(House of Representatives - September 14, 2020)
Text available as:
Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Pages H4350-H4351] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] CHARGING HELPS AGENCIES REALIZE GENERAL EFFICIENCIES ACT Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2193) to require the Administrator of General Services to issue guidance to clarify that Federal agencies may pay by charge card for the charging of Federal electric motor vehicles, and for other purposes. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: S. 2193 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Charging Helps Agencies Realize General Efficiencies Act'' or the ``CHARGE Act''. SEC. 2. PAYMENT BY CHARGE CARD FOR CHARGING FEDERAL ELECTRIC MOTOR VEHICLES. (a) Definitions.--In this Act-- (1) the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of General Services; (2) the term ``charge card''-- (A) means a card, plate, coupon book, or other means existing for the purpose of obtaining money, property, labor, or services; and (B) includes-- (i) a card issued under the GSA SmartPay program; and (ii) a Fleet Services card; (3) the term ``covered electric motor vehicle'' means a passenger carrier that is-- (A) a passenger motor vehicle; and (B) an electric motor vehicle; (4) the term ``electric motor vehicle'' has the meaning given the term in section 601 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 13271); (5) the term ``electric motor vehicle charging station'' means a battery-charging station that permits the transfer of electric energy (by conductive or inductive means) to a battery or other storage device in an electric motor vehicle; and (6) the terms ``Federal agency'' and ``passenger carrier'' have the meanings given those terms in section 1344(h) of title 31, United States Code. (b) Guidance.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall issue guidance to clarify that each Federal agency may, in accordance with section 1344 of title 31, United States Code-- (1) charge a covered electric motor vehicle at a commercial electric motor vehicle charging station; and (2) pay for a transaction described in paragraph (1) with a charge card. (c) Issuance of Charge Cards.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall issue to each Federal agency a charge card for each covered electric motor vehicle of the Federal agency that may be used by an officer or employee of the Federal agency to pay for charging the covered motor vehicle in accordance with the guidance issued under subsection (b). The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Keller) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New York. General Leave Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the measure before us. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from New York? There was no objection. Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Senators Gary Peters and Rob Portman for their bipartisan work on this commonsense, forward-thinking measure, as well as Congressman Ro Khanna and Anthony Gonzalez for championing a companion bill in the House. The SmartPay Program operated by the General Services Administration is the world's largest commercial payment program, serving over 560 Federal entities. It also is used for the fuel, maintenance, and repair of the government-wide commercial fleet. {time} 1500 With that size and reach comes impact and opportunity. SmartPay actively supports the goal of incorporating electric, hybrid, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles into this fleet, yet it is not clear that it can be used to pay for charging electric vehicles. S. 2193 would reinforce this goal by requiring GSA to issue guidance clarifying that authorized Federal employees can pay for charging electric vehicles using SmartPay, just as they can for refueling conventional motor vehicles. The Federal Government must lead the way in embracing technology and innovations that address society's gravest threats. Climate change is at the top of that list, challenging us all to do better. If we can rise to this challenge by investing in strategic industries, workforce training, and solutions, we can rise from this crisis as a safer, stronger, more prosperous Nation. I am firmly committed to cutting-edge, solutions-oriented policies that support our progress toward a Federal fleet of the future that is clean, green, and efficient. Mr. Speaker, I applaud S. 2193 for its important contribution toward this goal, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of S. 2193, the Charging Helps Agencies Realize General Efficiencies Act, or CHARGE Act. The CHARGE Act would direct the General Services Administration to allow Federal employees to use official Federal travel charge cards to pay for electric vehicle recharging at commercial charging stations. This simple change would help Federal Government employees take greater advantage of Federal electric motor vehicle fleet vehicles while traveling for official business. By ensuring the government can utilize expanding commercial charging stations, we can help drive down costs to the taxpayer and avoid the need for the government to buy and maintain more electric vehicle charging stations. If Federal employees must use their travel charge cards to refuel their traditional vehicles, they should also be allowed to use these same cards to refuel or charge their electric vehicles. This is a commonsense and easy step toward modernizing the Federal Government and granting more flexibility to Federal employees. [[Page H4351]] As an added benefit, according to the Congressional Budget Office, this new policy will not cost the American taxpayers anything to implement. Further, this new flexibility for the Federal Government and its employees to utilize electric vehicles could help bolster the American market for electric vehicles. As we have learned throughout the coronavirus pandemic, American manufacturing is vitally important to our success as a Nation. By allowing the increased use of electric vehicles in America, we can secure all the American ingenuity and innovation that comes with the vehicles of the future. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of S. 2193, and I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, S. 2193. The question was taken. The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it. Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3 of House Resolution 965, the yeas and nays are ordered. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. ____________________
All in House sectionPrev13 of 73Next