109th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5338
To prohibit the use of amounts in a Members' Representational Allowance
to provide any vehicle which does not use alternative fuels.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 10, 2006
Mr. CLEAVER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on House Administration
A BILL
To prohibit the use of amounts in a Members' Representational Allowance
to provide any vehicle which does not use alternative fuels.
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 `Congress Leads by Example through Alt-fuel
Resources Act' or the `CLEAR Act'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The national average price of a gallon of gasoline has doubled in
the past 3 years.
(2) The need to end the Nation's dependency on foreign oil is a vital
component of homeland security.
(3) The world's supply of oil is limited and unstable, and therefore the
need to develop new energy technologies is pressing.
(4) Alternative sources of energy such as ethanol, hydrogen, and electricity
have been proven effective and efficient in powering passenger vehicles.
(5) There have been several pieces of legislation introduced in the House
of Representatives to address the growing problem of high gas prices and
the need to utilize alternative sources of energy.
(6) Members of Congress should follow their own example of setting forth
legislation that encourages the use of alternatively fueled vehicles.
(7) In 2005 the total cost of automobile leases for Members of Congress
surpassed $1 million, and a collective switch to alternative fuel vehicles,
hybrid vehicles, or vehicles powered by bio-fuels could potentially save
American taxpayers thousands of dollars annually.
(8) The General Services Administration has already purchased over 68,000
alternative fueled vehicles for the use of Federal customers, more than
any other organization in the United States.
SEC. 3. PROHIBITING USE OF MEMBERS' REPRESENTATIONAL ALLOWANCE FOR VEHICLES
NOT USING ALTERNATIVE FUELS.
(a) Prohibition- No portion of a Members' Representational Allowance may
be used to provide any individual with a vehicle, including providing an
individual with a vehicle under a long-term lease, which is not an alternative
fuel vehicle.
(b) Alternative Fuel Vehicles Described-
(1) IN GENERAL- In this section, an `alternative fuel vehicle' means any
of the following:
(A) A vehicle treated as an alternative fuels vehicle by the Administrator
of General Services under standards established by the Administrator.
(B) Any other vehicle powered by alternative fuel or synthetic fuel.
(C) Any other vehicle powered in whole or in part by--
(i) flexible-fuel operating systems;
(ii) bio-fuel operating systems;
(iii) electrical operating systems; or
(iv) hybrid-electrical operating systems.
(2) OTHER DEFINITIONS- In paragraph (1)--
(A) the term `alternative fuel' has the meaning given such term in section
301(2) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 13211(2));
(B) the term `bio-fuel' means any fuel containing any organic matter
that is available on a renewable or recurring basis, including agricultural
crops and trees, wood and wood wastes and residues, plants (including
aquatic plants), grasses, residues, fibers, animal wastes, municipal
wastes, and other waste materials; and
(C) the term `synthetic fuel' means any fuel obtained from coal or from
natural gas, or derived from resources such as oil shale, tar sand,
or waste plastics.
(c) Effective Date- Subsection (a) shall apply with respect to the Members'
Representational Allowance for fiscal year 2007 and each succeeding fiscal
year.
END
