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[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2788 Introduced in House (IH)]

108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2788

  To direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to 
 conduct a pilot program to raise awareness about telework among small 
 business employers, and to encourage such employers to offer telework 
                         options to employees.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 17, 2003

  Mr. Udall of Colorado (for himself, Mr. Frost, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. 
     Issa, Mr. Rush, Mr. Ross, Mrs. Jo Ann Davis of Virginia, Mr. 
   Blumenauer, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Mr. Filner, Mr. Udall of New 
Mexico, and Mr. Wynn) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                   to the Committee on Small Business

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to 
 conduct a pilot program to raise awareness about telework among small 
 business employers, and to encourage such employers to offer telework 
                         options to employees.

    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 ``Small Business Telework Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

     The Congress finds that--
            (1) telework reduces the volume of peak commuter traffic, 
        thereby reducing traffic congestion and air pollution;
            (2) the Nation's communities can benefit from telework, 
        which gives workers more time to spend at home with their 
        families;
            (3) it is in the national interest to raise awareness 
        within the small business community of telework options for 
        employees;
            (4) the small business community can benefit from offering 
        telework options to employees because such options make it 
        easier for small employers to retain valued employees and 
        employees with irreplaceable institutional memory;
            (5) companies with telework programs have found that 
        telework can boost employee productivity 5 percent to 20 
        percent, thereby saving businesses valuable resources and time;
            (6) 60 percent of the workforce is involved in information 
        work (an increase of 43 percent since 1990), allowing and 
        encouraging decentralization of paid work to occur;
            (7) individuals with disabilities, including disabled 
        American veterans, who own or are employed by small businesses 
        could benefit from telework to their workplaces; and
            (8) telework has the potential to provide more employment 
        opportunities in rural communities.

SEC. 3. SMALL BUSINESS TELEWORK PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--In accordance with this Act, the Administrator 
shall conduct, in not more than 5 of the Small Business 
Administration's regions, a pilot program to raise awareness about 
telework among small business employers and to encourage such employers 
to offer telework options to employees.
    (b) Special Outreach to Individuals With Disabilities.--In carrying 
out subsection (a), the Administrator shall make special efforts to 
conduct outreach to--
            (1) businesses owned by or employing individuals with 
        disabilities, and disabled American veterans in particular;
            (2) Federal, State, and local agencies having knowledge and 
        expertise in assisting individuals with disabilities or 
        disabled American veterans; and
            (3) any group or organization, the primary purpose of which 
        is to aid individuals with disabilities or disabled American 
        veterans.
    (c) Permissible Activities.--In carrying out the pilot program, the 
Administrator may only--
            (1) produce educational materials and conduct presentations 
        designed to raise awareness in the small business community of 
        the benefits and the ease of telework;
            (2) conduct outreach--
                    (A) to small business concerns that are considering 
                offering telework options; and
                    (B) as provided in subsection (b); and
            (3) acquire telework technologies and equipment to be used 
        for demonstration purposes.
    (d) Selection of Regions.--In determining which regions will 
participate in the pilot program, the Administrator shall give priority 
consideration to regions in which Federal agencies and private-sector 
employers have demonstrated a strong regional commitment to telework.

SEC. 4. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

     Not later than 2 years after the first date on which funds are 
appropriated to carry out this Act, the Administrator shall transmit to 
the Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate a report 
containing the results of an evaluation of the pilot program and any 
recommendations as to whether the pilot program, with or without 
modification, should be extended to include the participation of all 
Small Business Administration regions.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

     In this Act--
            (1) the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of 
        the Small Business Administration;
            (2) the term ``disability'' has the same meaning as in 
        section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 
        U.S.C. 12102);
            (3) the term ``pilot program'' means the program 
        established under section 3; and
            (4) the term ``telework'' means the performance of any 
        portion of work functions by an employee outside the normal 
        place of business under circumstances which reduce or eliminate 
        the need to commute.

SEC. 6. TERMINATION.

     The pilot program shall terminate 2 years after the first date on 
which funds are appropriated to carry out this Act.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

     There is authorized to be appropriated to the Small Business 
Administration $5,000,000 to carry out this Act.
                                 <all>
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