The Government Committee of the Arizona House of Delegates took action to approve legislation that would define Uber, Sidecar, and Lyft as rideshare operators, and the services and platforms they use, as ridematching platforms. The legislation would further regulate all ridesharing operations. It draws concerns on two levels.

First, Arizona would be the first public body to recognize those companies as ridesharing, while others, including those in California, Seattle, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., have done the opposite. Second, the legislation would appear to regulate any entity that uses an online ridematching system; this would have obvious effects on both carpool and vanpool operations.

Jason Pavluchuk, ACT's government relations specialist, worked with the Valley of the Sun Chapter on a response. On Feb. 18 two ACT members testified before the committee. The basis of the testimony was that the services provided by those companies, while valuable, are not ridesharing, and that calling them ridesharing is dangerous. The members further expressed that ridesharing is defined as individuals sharing rides with a common origination and destination and where costs may be shared. ACT representatives asked that the committee amend the language to define services such as Uber and Lyft as transportation network companies (as they are defined in California), and specifically exempt ridesharing (defined as we have above) from the legislation. The committee organized a stakeholder meeting for Tuesday to revise language. ACT's next action will largely be determined by that meeting.

The two-day Innovation in Mobility Public Policy Summit will bring forward-thinking transportation professionals together in Washington, D.C., to discuss new developments in shared-use mobility and foster further collaboration between governments and private sector mobility providers. Building on the successful Shared Use Mobility Summit in San Francisco last October, this event will feature panel discussions and presentations by influential mobility leaders in the public sector along with experts in the fields of carsharing, one-way carsharing, peer-to-peer (P2P) carsharing, public bikesharing, ridesharing, and technology, all sharing their experiences in bringing new transportation options to local communities. 

Any professional interested in the future of sustainable mobility, including mobility providers, policymakers, governmental agencies, non-profits, affiliated industries, technologists, academics, media, and stakeholders on the current state of the practice should attend this important event.

The Safe Streets Act (HR 2468, S 2004) was recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congresswoman Matsui (D-CA) and Congressman Joyce (R-OH), and in the U.S. Senate by Senator Begich (D-AK) and Senator Schatz (D-HI).

The legislation requires each state to enact within two years a law or explicit policy statement from its department of transportation and metropolitan planning organization (MPO) that requires all federally-funded transportation projects, with certain exceptions, to accommodate the safety and convenience of all users in accordance with certain Complete Streets principles.

The legislation defines these principles as federal, state, local, or regional-level transportation laws, policies, or principles that ensure the safety and convenience of all users of a transportation system, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transit users, children, older individuals, motorists, and individuals with disabilities, is accommodated in all phases of project planning and development.

The ACT website is getting a face-lift, with a more substantial overhaul planned in the future.

Thank you for your patience over the few weeks as we make some changes, fix links and make the website a more usable resource for you.

The Telework Council of ACT and Best Workplaces for Commuters at the National Center for Transit Research invite you to an informative netconference on state tax penalties for telecommuting, Thursday, Feb. 27, from 2:00-3:15 p.m. EST.

Telework lets employers hire and retain workers who live anywhere, from a few blocks to many time zones away. State tax authorities, however, can make interstate telework arrangements difficult for both employees and employers. Nicole Belson Goluboff, Esq., Telework Council's public policy liaison, will discuss the tax states may impose on nonresident individuals who telecommute to employers in those states. She will explain how the "convenience of the employer" rule can harm workers, businesses, and states, and highlight proposed federal legislation to eliminate the rule. Goluboff will also discuss the policy under which a state may subject an out-of-state company to business activity taxes when the company employs as little as a single telecommuter in that state. She will describe the leading case in this area and discuss how other states might handle similar cases, and summarize the effects these policies can have on the growth of telework.

Jason Pavluchuk spoke to the Community Transportation Association of Idaho's Leadership Summit on Feb. 19. In his remarks, he outlined the issues ahead of the reauthorization of MAP-21 and discussed some of the items that ACT is working on. Pavluchuk was introduced by ACT member Heather Wheeler, who is a graduate of the ACT Leadership Academy. Following the event, Pavluchuk said, "It was good to hear about all of the great things that Heather's group and the folks here in Idaho are doing. I was able to join the leadership summit at their legislative reception and its clear that the legislators here at the state level understand the importance of transportation. I was particularly impressed with the comments of State Rep. Packer (R-28b), who represents a portion of southeast Idaho and has a clear understanding of the need for wide transportation options."

If you already have a LinkedIn profile (and easy to create one if you don't), why not join ACT's LinkedIn group? This is a perfect place to make connections, start a discussion, and share a link. Simply log in to your account, search Association for Commuter Transportation, and click the Join button.

Just added: TMA subgroup on ACT's LinkedIn group 

Thank you to ACT member Lauren Bennett, program director at Movability Austin, for getting this set up and volunteering to moderate. Join the group here.

The Federal Highway Administration invites you to join them for the next Let's Talk Performance Webinar: Best Practices for Collaborating to Share Data and Data Analytics. This event on March 6 from 1-3 p.m. EST is open to FHWA staff, State DOTs, MPOs, Transit providers, and other stakeholder agencies.

This webinar will focus on sharing best practices being applied by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), Caltrans, and the University of Maryland Center for Advanced Transportation Technology (UMD CATT) Laboratory to alleviate data collection, storage, access, and analysis concerns related to the implementation MAP-21 performance provisions.

During this webinar, presenters will:

• Provide an update on FHWA rule-making proceedings
• Discuss highlights from recent MAP-21 workshops
• Share the following best practices:
• Caltrans: State collaboration with local partners and data challenges with implementation of MAP-21
• TxDOT and TTI: Common Data Sourcing: Texas Transportation Performance Data Management & Analysis
• UMD CATT Laboratory Driving Decision Making: Web-based Visualization & Training for Empowering Analysts

You will also have the opportunity to ask questions, share your own experiences, and learn how you can most effectively leverage coordination and collaboration opportunities to implement MAP-21's performance provisions.

Click this link to register now.

Jimmy Fallon had a lot on his mind this week as he became the new host of The Tonight Show, taking the reins from Jay Leno. From an entertainment blog post this week, 39 Things You Learn About Jimmy Fallon by Hanging Out With Him, we learned this:  Fallon "spends his time commuting thinking of round objects on which to put The Tonight Show's new moon-shaped logo: coasters; DCT Blistex containers; the bottom of coffee mugs, so when you sip, people will see it. ("No one ever decorates the bottom of a mug.") The inside of an umbrella. Compact mirrors. Light-up Aerobie Frisbees. Ping-pong balls. Golf balls. Dishware. A giant circular bath towel. A giant moon beanbag chair. "A moon pie would be genius, right? When people look at the full moon, I want them not to see the full moon anymore, they just see our logo." That's right, Jimmy - commuting is good thinking time!