I 

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.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Small Business 

5 Telework Act’’. 
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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 The Congress finds that—

3 (1) telework reduces the volume of peak com4 muter traffic, thereby reducing traffic congestion 

5 and air pollution; 

6 (2) the Nation’s communities can benefit from 

7 telework, which gives workers more time to spend at 

8 home with their families; 

9 (3) it is in the national interest to raise aware10 ness within the small business community of 

11 telework options for employees; 

12 (4) the small business community can benefit 

13 from offering telework options to employees because 

14 such options make it easier for small employers to 

15 retain valued employees and employees with irre16 placeable institutional memory; 

17 (5) companies with telework programs have 

18 found that telework can boost employee productivity 

19 5 percent to 20 percent, thereby saving businesses 

20 valuable resources and time; 

21 (6) 60 percent of the workforce is involved in 

22 information work (an increase of 43 percent since 

23 1990), allowing and encouraging decentralization of 

24 paid work to occur; 

25 (7) individuals with disabilities, including dis26 abled American veterans, who own or are employed 
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1 by small businesses could benefit from telework to 

2 their workplaces; and 

3 (8) telework has the potential to provide more 

4 employment opportunities in rural communities. 

5 SEC. 3. SMALL BUSINESS TELEWORK PILOT PROGRAM. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—In accordance with this Act, the 

7 Administrator shall conduct, in not more than 5 of the 

8 Small Business Administration’s regions, a pilot program 

9 to raise awareness about telework among small business 

10 employers and to encourage such employers to offer 

11 telework options to employees. 

12 (b) SPECIAL OUTREACH TO INDIVIDUALS WITH DIS13 ABILITIES.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Adminis14 trator shall make special efforts to conduct outreach to—

15 (1) businesses owned by or employing individ16 uals with disabilities, and disabled American vet17 erans in particular; 

18 (2) Federal, State, and local agencies having 

19 knowledge and expertise in assisting individuals with 

20 disabilities or disabled American veterans; and 

21 (3) any group or organization, the primary pur22 pose of which is to aid individuals with disabilities 

23 or disabled American veterans. 

24 (c) PERMISSIBLE ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out the 

25 pilot program, the Administrator may only—
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1 (1) produce educational materials and conduct 

2 presentations designed to raise awareness in the 

3 small business community of the benefits and the 

4 ease of telework; 

5 (2) conduct outreach—

6 (A) to small business concerns that are 

7 considering offering telework options; and 

8 (B) as provided in subsection (b); and 

9 (3) acquire telework technologies and equip10 ment to be used for demonstration purposes. 

11 (d) SELECTION OF REGIONS.—In determining which 

12 regions will participate in the pilot program, the Adminis13 trator shall give priority consideration to regions in which 

14 Federal agencies and private-sector employers have dem15 onstrated a strong regional commitment to telework. 

16 SEC. 4. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

17 Not later than 2 years after the first date on which 

18 funds are appropriated to carry out this Act, the Adminis19 trator shall transmit to the Committee on Small Business 

20 of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

21 Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate a re22 port containing the results of an evaluation of the pilot 

23 program and any recommendations as to whether the pilot 

24 program, with or without modification, should be extended 
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1 to include the participation of all Small Business Adminis2 tration regions. 

3 SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 

4 In this Act—

5 (1) the term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the Ad6 ministrator of the Small Business Administration; 

7 (2) the term ‘‘disability’’ has the same meaning 

8 as in section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities 

9 Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102); 

10 (3) the term ‘‘pilot program’’ means the pro11 gram established under section 3; and 

12 (4) the term ‘‘telework’’ means the performance 

13 of any portion of work functions by an employee out14 side the normal place of business under cir15 cumstances which reduce or eliminate the need to 

16 commute. 

17 SEC. 6. TERMINATION. 

18 The pilot program shall terminate 2 years after the 

19 first date on which funds are appropriated to carry out 

20 this Act. 

21 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

22 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Small 

23 Business Administration $5,000,000 to carry out this Act.

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