This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as “The Travelink Traffic Mitigation Act.”

67 Del. Laws, c. 160, §  1; 

The purpose of this subchapter shall be to mitigate traffic congestion associated with commuting to and from the work site during peak travel periods and to accomplish traffic mitigation through the provision of a tax incentive to employers. Employer programs which specifically target “welfare to work” employees are exempt from the peak period limitation. An additional purpose shall be to decrease the number of single occupant vehicles and increase the use of alternative modes of travel during the commute to and from work.

67 Del. Laws, c. 160, §  1;  68 Del. Laws, c. 425, §  1;  72 Del. Laws, c. 188, §§  1-3; 

(a) “The Department” shall mean the Department of Transportation and its several divisions, agencies, authorities, and administrations as appropriate.

(b) “Department-approved travelink program” shall mean an employer’s program, approved by the Department, to reduce commute trip traffic congestion during peak travel periods and also nonpeak travel periods for welfare-to-work programs by supporting the use of alternative modes of employees commuting from their homes or within the proximity of their homes to their places of employment.

(c) “Direct costs” shall mean those unreimbursed costs incurred by employers associated with a Department-approved travelink program, limited to the following:

(1) Any employer-provided vehicle, acquired or leased, and used as part of a travelink program;

(2) Maintenance of an employer-provided vehicle used in the program;

(3) Subsidization of employee commuting costs or incentives in the form of direct payments to employees or third party providers of transportation, including public transit;

(4) Administrative costs, such as personnel costs (salary, benefits and training, but not overhead) and payments to third parties, excluding the Department, for general administration including development, implementation and maintenance costs directly related to the Travelink program. Administrative costs are limited to no more than 4 billable hours per week per 50 employees per week thereafter. The maximum billable hourly rate is $20; and

(5) Capital costs incurred as part of a Department-approved travelink program.

(d) “Employee” shall mean an individual employed by an employer, and also shall mean an individual participating in programs relating to the Job Training Partnership Act, Pub. L. 97-300, Oct. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 1322 [29 U.S.C. § 1501 et seq.], as amended [repealed].

(e) “Employer-provided vehicles” shall mean any automobile, van, or bus, either owned, leased, chartered or subsidized by an employer, used in a ride-sharing arrangement during peak travel periods and also non-peak travel periods for welfare-to-work programs, provided, however, that a minimum of 3 employees must commute in the vehicle during said periods so as to make such vehicles eligible for the benefits provided in this subchapter.

(f) “Employer” shall mean any person, partnership, association, bank, trust company, national bank, corporation, company, mutual company, joint-stock company, society, trust, trust company, unincorporated organization, trustee, trustee in bankruptcy, receiver, or other natural or artificial legal entity authorized to do business in this State, or any group, cooperative or association thereof having no less than 100 employees reporting to a specific work-site during the peak periods. Employer programs which specifically target “welfare-to-work” employees are exempt from the peak period limitation.

(g) “Peak travel periods” shall mean between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. and between the hours of 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

(h) “Ride-sharing arrangement” shall mean any voluntary association of employees who, with the assistance, contribution, or promotion of their employers, participate in a Department-approved travelink program.

(i) “The Secretary” shall mean the Secretary of the Department of Transportation or the Secretary’s duly appointed delegate.

67 Del. Laws, c. 160, §  1;  68 Del. Laws, c. 425, §§  2, 7;  70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  1;  72 Del. Laws, c. 188, §§  4-10; 

(a) Employers who participate in a Department-approved travelink program shall be eligible for a credit against the taxes and/or fees imposed by the following statutory provisions and such credit shall be taken annually at the conclusion of the tax year, subject to such return requirements as may be imposed by the State Bank Commissioner, Insurance Commissioner, Secretary of Labor or Secretary of Finance:

(1) Chapter 11 of Title 5;

(2) Sections 702 and 703 of Title 18;

(3) Chapter 19 of this title;

(4) Section 2702(b) of this title;

(5) Chapter 33 of this title;

(6) Section 2301(d) of this title;

(7) Section 2902(c) of this title;

(8) Section 2903(c) of this title;

(9) Section 2904(c) of this title;

(10) Section 2905(b)(1) of this title;

(11) Section 2906(c) of this title; or

(12) Section 2907(c) of this title.

The amount of the credit shall be determined under subsection (b) of this section. Credits under this section shall be taken by the employer against taxes in the order specified in this subsection.

(b) Subject to the limitations contained in subsections (c) and (d) of this section, the credit granted under subsection (a) of this section shall be 10% of the direct cost (DC) of developing, implementing and maintaining the Travelink plan/program, or the product of either equation described below, whichever product of the equations below is less:

(1) TC = (CTR/CTG) x DC; or

(2) TC = CTR x $250.

As used in this subsection, TC is the amount of the tax credit; CTG is the number of commuter trips generated, defined herein as the annualized number of employees reporting and departing from the place of employment during the peak travel periods and also nonpeak travel periods for welfare-to-work programs; CTR is the number of commuter trip reductions, defined herein as the number of employees participating in a Department-approved travelink program for at least 100 days of the applicable taxable year or a pro rata share thereof for a program encompassing less than a full taxable year; and DC is the employer’s allowable direct costs.

(c) The amount of the credit allowable under this section for any taxable year shall not exceed 100 percent of the amount of taxes and/or fees imposed upon the employer by the statutes referred to in subsection (a) of this section, for such taxable year (computed without regard to this section).

(d) The amount of the credit determined under subsection (b) of this section for any taxable year that is not allowable for such taxable year solely as a result of the limitation contained in subsection (c) of this section shall be a credit carryover for up to 3 subsequent taxable years. In applying the limitation contained in subsection (c) of this section to any taxable year to which a credit may be carried under this subsection, any credit carryovers to such taxable year shall be considered to be applied in reduction of the taxes and/or fees imposed upon employers referred to in subsection (a) of this section for such taxable year in the order of the taxable years from which such taxable years are carried over, beginning with the credit carryover from the earliest taxable year, and only after all such credit carryovers to such taxable year have been allowed in full shall any credit that would be allowable in such taxable year without regard to this subsection be allowed.

67 Del. Laws, c. 160, §  1;  68 Del. Laws, c. 425, §  5;  72 Del. Laws, c. 188, §§  11-13; 

The Secretary shall prescribe such rules and regulations as the Secretary may deem necessary to carry out the purposes of this subchapter, including but not limited to the following:

(1) Procedures for approval of Travelink Programs, including:

a. A provision giving approval priority to those employers whose place of employment is adjacent to, or for which the predominant commuting routes to the place of employment are, those roads and highways that are at Level of Service D, as defined by the Department, or at lower levels of service, during the peak travel periods;

b. A provision giving approval priority to those employers who develop a mitigation plan which delineates goals and congestion relief techniques extending beyond any plans or programs of the employer existing prior to February 6, 1990;

c. A provision giving approval authority to those employers who develop a mitigation plan targeted to welfare-to-work clients;

d. A provision giving approval priority to those employers who develop an ongoing marketing program directed towards and capable of increasing and sustaining employee participation over time;

e. Development of a Department-administered monitoring plan; and

(2) Coordination of the provisions of this subchapter with the Division of Revenue, the State Bank Commissioner, the Insurance Commissioner, or other state agencies, divisions or departments affected by this subchapter.

67 Del. Laws, c. 160, §  1;  68 Del. Laws, c. 425, §  3;  69 Del. Laws, c. 161, §  2;  70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  1;  72 Del. Laws, c. 188, §§  14, 15; 

Written or recorded information, provided by employers as part of their application for or participation in a Department-approved travelink program, shall be treated as confidential, and to the extent used for that purpose shall not be considered as a public record under the provisions of Chapter l00 of Title 29.

67 Del. Laws, c. 160, §  1;  72 Del. Laws, c. 188, §  16; 

The Department is responsible for reviewing and approving any public or private traffic mitigation plan or program including, but not limited to, clean air compliance programs, Travelink programs, commuter benefit programs, Department-approved incentives contained in any zoning, subdivision or any other land use or development project designed to enhance traffic mitigations, programs approved by county or local government, and any and all other public or private plans designed either in whole or in part to reduce traffic through the use of incentives or disincentives such as, but not limited to, parking charges, parking preferences and financial penalties proposed by employers for single occupant vehicles commuting to the work site.

68 Del. Laws, c. 425, §  4; 

(a) The total amount of eligible credits allowed under this subchapter (“Travelink credits”) shall not exceed $100,000 in any State fiscal year.

(b) If the total amount of Travelink credits for which all taxpayers apply in any State fiscal year exceeds the amount set forth in subsection (a) of this section, then the Travelink credit to be received by each applicant for that year shall be the product of the amount set forth in subsection (a) of this section multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the eligible Travelink credits applied for by the applicant and the denominator of which is the total of all eligible Travelink credits applied for by the applicants.

72 Del. Laws, c. 188, §  17;