The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Modernizing Government Travel (MGT) Act, a bipartisan bill introducing the options of ride-hailing apps and bike-share programs for government employees on official business.
Led by Reps. Will Hurd, R-Texas, and Seth Moulton, D-Mass., the MGT Act requires the General Services Administration to implement regulations allowing the reimbursement of feds using Uber, Lyft and other alternative travel options.
“Our bipartisan bill ensures that innovative and cost-effective modes of transportation are available to the thousands of federal employees in Washington and Massachusetts for official travel,” Moulton said in a statement. “We know that this increased engagement in the sharing economy will reduce federal spending, and by passing our bill today the House has agreed to our idea that we can save taxpayer dollars by bringing government travel into the 21st century.”
In addition, allowing federal agencies to use the same technology as the private sector makes them more attractive as employers, according to Hurd, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Information Technology and advocates for responsive, modern federal IT.
The MGT Act must still pass the Senate and be signed by the president to become law.
