Zoe Lofgren: “I am pleased that we are considering this amendment today. In fact, the genesis of this idea came to me in a constituent…”

“I am pleased that we are considering this amendment today. In fact, the genesis of this idea came to me in a constituent letter in February 2014. I was contacted by a constituent who works at a local Federal facility who was surprised and dismayed that he was unable to charge his electric car at work. We found that, due to a quirk in the reading of current law, Federal agencies were prevented from providing EV charging facilities for personal use by their employees. Thanks to this constituent's suggestions, I introduced a bill last Congress, the EV-COMUTE Act, to allow Federal agencies to provide charging stations for their employees at no cost to the taxpayer. I am grateful to my colleagues, Mr. Massie and Ms. Eshoo, for joining me in this effort, both as cosponsors of the EV-COMUTE and of this amendment. This story is a great example of democracy at work and the power of citizen participation in generating ideas. After two Congresses of introducing the EV-COMUTE, I am happy to support this amendment here today. It is a straightforward amendment that will make Federal workplaces more efficient, flexible, and innovative by allowing the GSA to install and operate electric car charging stations at Federal facilities for use by employees at no cost to the taxpayer, fully covered by user fees. Currently, if Members of Congress and their staff choose to drive an electric vehicle to work at the U.S.…”