Portman urges House action on bipartisan electric vehicles recharging bill

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) last month urged swift consideration of his bipartisan bill to require the General Services Administration (GSA) to issue guidance clarifying that federal agencies may use a federal charge card to pay for charging electric motor vehicles owned by the federal government.

“If federal employees are required to pay for gas with travel charge cards, they should also be allowed to ‘fill up’ at a charging station when operating an electric vehicle,” Sen. Portman said on Dec. 18, 2019.

The lawmaker in July 2019 cosponsored the Charging Helps Agencies Realize General Efficiencies (CHARGE) Act, S. 2193, introduced by bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), to require that the GSA allow federal employees to use Fleet Services Cards, which federal agencies use to cover the costs of small-dollar repairs and refueling of government-owned and leased vehicles, to charge electric vehicles at commercial charging stations.

Currently, electric vehicles are not covered by this service, according to Sen. Portman’s office.

The U.S. Senate in November 2019 approved S. 2193 and later that month sent the measure to the U.S. House of Representatives, which referred it to the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee, where the bill remains under consideration.

“I’m pleased that the Senate passed this bipartisan, commonsense bill and urge the House to take it up soon,” said Sen. Portman.