Virginia Law Makers Call for Toll Freeze for Federal Workers Commuting to Work Without Pay During Shutdown

"I represent TSA Agents, United States Marshalls, and FBI agents who are currently working without pay in order to protect our nation and our state," said Delegate Karrie Delaney who represents a large population of Federal workers in Fairfax and Loudoun counties. "These residents are still going to work every day to ensure our nation's operations continue, but they are not receiving a paycheck. They are trying to figure out how they are going to make ends meet, and here we have an opportunity to provide some relief from the tolls they incur during their commute."

The letter sent to Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine and The Dulles Greenway, calls for a procedure where furloughed workers can demonstrate their employment status to the state and have their EZ Pass transponders deactivated until the government shut down concludes. The letter also asks for consideration to refund tolls incurred by these same workers during the time they have been working without pay. 

Virginia is the 6th most affected state by the government shutdown, and also has some of the highest tolls in the Northern Virginia region that especially impact commuters into Washington D.C.