{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20140222222623/http://schwartz.house.gov/press-release/schwartz-leads-bipartisan-letter-urging-extension-tax-benefit-pennsylvania-commuters", "Schwartz Leads Bipartisan Letter Urging Extension of Tax Benefit for Pennsylvania Commuters", "2013-12-06", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "PA", "Allyson Schwartz", "S001162", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Members of southeastern Pennsylvania\u2019s Congressional delegation today sent a bipartisan letter to House leadership calling for an extension of a tax benefit that helps thousands of Pennsylvanians save money on their commute to work. If Congress fails to act, the commuter benefit will be cut nearly in half when it expires on Dec. 31.\u00a0\nU.S. Rep. Allyson Y. Schwartz (PA-13) led the letter, which was signed by Reps. Robert Brady (PA-1), Chaka Fattah (PA-2), Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-8), Jim Gerlach (PA-6) and Pat Meehan (PA-7). A PDF copy of the signed letter is available here, and the full text is enclosed below.\nUnder current federal law, employers can offer their employees an option of setting aside up to $245 per month in wages tax free for mass transit commuting costs or parking at their workplace. While the maximum parking benefit is set to increase to $250 in 2014, public transit commuters will see their maximum benefit cut to $130 unless Congress acts before Dec. 31.\nIf Congress fails to extend the benefit, 9,500 Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) riders in the Greater Philadelphia Area could see their taxes increase by $300 or more next year.\n \u201cThis important tax benefit helps middle-class families save money on their commute, and we need to ensure it is extended equally to mass transit riders and those who drive to work.\u201d Schwartz said. \u201cIn this tough economy, it makes no sense to squeeze middle-class families with a tax increase that will make commuting more expensive. We need to extend this benefit so that Pennsylvania\u2019s commuters can continue to take advantage of the critical savings it provides.\u201d\n \nBrady said, \u201cWe need to do the right thing. We need to act now to extend the transit commuter tax benefit. This is common sense legislation that will save money for workers, employers and it helps the environment.\u201d\nFattah said, \u201cExtending the commuter tax benefit is about parity for the thousands of commuters in Philadelphia, and those around the country, that rely on public transit to travel to and from work. It benefits Pennsylvania families, employers, and public transit agencies, and we should be encouraging \u2013 not discouraging\u2014the use of public transportation for its many benefits to the environment and for the general health and mobility of our communities. I join with my colleagues in urging swift action on this legislation.\u201d\nFitzpatrick said, \u201cThousands of Bucks County families rely on the use of public transit to commute to and from work - a process made easier, and less expensive, through employee transit benefits. \u00a0Without an action by Congress, the benefit of withholding taxable earnings for commuting will be cut - that's a cut too far for many hardworking families. I urge leaders from both parties to take action on this issue on behalf of families in my district and around the nation.\u201d\nMeehan said, \u201cMany hardworking families across the 7th district rely on these benefits to help with the cost of getting to and from work each day, so it\u2019s important that we protect the transit commuter tax benefit. It reduces congestion and creates parity with commuters who drive to work and benefit from the same credit. We urge Congress to pass legislation so Pennsylvania families don\u2019t face increased costs.\u201d\nMore than 2.7 million commuters nationwide take advantage of the transit portion of the commuter benefit program, according to the Commuter Benefits Work for Us advocacy group. The benefit also saved employers more than $300 million in payroll taxes in 2010.\nTransportation is the second largest household expense for American families and a lapse in the commuter benefit will have a direct impact on the budgets of middle-class families. Reduced transportation benefits could also encourage more commuters to drive to work. Traffic congestion already costs Philadelphia area drivers $3.4 billion each year in lost time and fuel, according to a report issued in June by the transportation group TRIP. Depending on which route they take to get to work, some Philadelphia drivers lose as much as $2,300 annually.\nSEPTA General Manager Joseph M. Casey said, \u201cI recommend that every employer consider offering SEPTA\u2019s ComPass Program to their employees. \u00a0It has been a proven and cost-effective way for businesses to reduce their employees\u2019 transportation costs while encouraging more commuters to take advantage of the benefits of public transportation. \u00a0 We are grateful to Congresswoman Schwartz and the members of the southeastern Pennsylvania delegation for their efforts and hope that Congress will extend the program at the current level, so all SEPTA riders can benefit from the maximum allowance.\u201d\nRob Henry, executive director of the Greater Valley Forge Transportation Management Association, said, \u201cWe would like to thank Congresswoman Schwartz for her consistent support of transportation, and we appreciate the members of southeastern Pennsylvania\u2019s delegation for supporting this effort. \u00a0The Congresswoman continues to be a leader in supporting these important quality of life issues that impact her constituents and their employers. \u00a0Public transportation ridership is at an all-time high throughout the U.S. and we need to continue to further invest in items like the public transit benefit.\u201d\nMichael Melaniphy, President and CEO of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), said, \u201cThe American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Pennsylvania transit riders, and public transportation riders across our country, commend Congresswoman Schwartz and the members of the southeastern Pennsylvania delegation on their urgent call for the House of Representatives to extend parity between public transit and parking pre-tax benefits. If Congress fails to act by year's end and allows the parity between the two benefits to expire, it will immediately serve as a disincentive to take public transportation. \u00a0Americans want reasonable transportation choices and federal law should maintain a level playing field for those choices. We must continue to push in these last days of 2013 for Congress to pass this parity measure.\"\nPaul Dean, Vice President of TransitCenter, Inc., said. \u201cOn behalf of TransitCenter and the Commuter Benefits Work for Us Coalition, we applaud Congresswoman Schwartz for her efforts to maintain parity between the transit and parking portions of the commuter benefit. \u00a0We hope she will be joined by her colleagues in Congress to pass legislation by the end of the year to avoid a significant reduction in the transit benefit, that would result in increased commuting costs for thousands of transit riders across the nation, and create a federal incentive for commuters to drive to work.\"\nSchwartz is a cosponsor of the Commuter Parity Act (H.R. 2288) that would permanently extend the parity between parking and transit and allow for annual cost-of-living adjustments. The bill sets the per-employee, per-month limit at $220 for parking and mass transit and $35 for bicycle commuters.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20140222222623/http://schwartz.house.gov/press-release/schwartz-leads-bipartisan-letter-urging-extension-tax-benefit-pennsylvania-commuters"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9803902357816696, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}