I 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5217 

To direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to conduct 

a demonstration program to raise awareness about telework among small 

business employers, and to encourage such employers to offer telework 

options to employees, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 29, 2008 

Mr. UDALL of Colorado 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 demonstration program to raise 

awareness about telework among small business employers, and to encourage such employers to offer telework 

options to employees, and for other purposes. 

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 Promotion Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds that— 


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1 (1) Federal, State, and local governments spend 

2 billions of dollars annually on the Nation’s transpor3 tation needs; 

4 (2) congestion on the Nation’s roads costs lost 

5 work time and increased fuel consumption; 

6 (3) on average, on-road vehicles contribute 34 

7 percent of nitrogen oxides emissions; 

8 (4) it is estimated that staying at home to work 

9 requires 3 times less energy consumption than com10 muting to work; 

11 (5) the average travel time to work is 25 min12 utes each way; 

13 (6) telework reduces the volume of peak com14 muter traffic, thereby reducing traffic congestion 

15 and air pollution; 

16 (7) the Nation’s communities can benefit from 

17 telework, which gives workers more time to spend at 

18 home with their families; 

19 (8) it is in the national interest to raise aware20 ness within the small business community of 

21 telework options for employees; 

22 (9) the small business community can benefit 

23 from offering telework options to employees because 

24 such options make it easier for small employers to 


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1 retain valued employees and employees with irre2 placeable institutional memory; 

3 (10) companies with telework programs have 

4 found that telework can boost employee productivity 

5 5 percent to 20 percent, thereby saving businesses 

6 valuable resources and time; 

7 (11) individuals with disabilities, including serv8 ice-disabled veterans, who own or are employed by 

9 small businesses could benefit from telework to their 

10 workplaces; 

11 (12) telework has the potential to provide more 

12 employment opportunities in rural communities; and 

13 (13) telework is seen as a valuable tool in dis14 aster preparedness and business continuity. 

15 SEC. 3. SMALL BUSINESS DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Small 

17 Business Administration shall carry out a competitive 

18 grant program under this section to raise awareness about 

19 telework among small business employers and to encour20 age such employers to offer telework options to employees. 

21 (b) SPECIAL OUTREACH TO INDIVIDUALS WITH DIS22 ABILITIES.—In carrying out the program, the Adminis23 trator shall make special efforts to conduct outreach to— 


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1 (1) businesses owned by or employing individ2 uals with disabilities, and service-disabled veterans 

3 in particular; 

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

5 knowledge and expertise in assisting individuals with 

6 disabilities or service-disabled veterans; and 

7 (3) any group or organization, the primary pur8 pose of which is to aid individuals with disabilities 

9 or service-disabled veterans. 

10 (c) PERMISSIBLE ACTIVITIES.—Funds received 

11 under a grant may be used only to— 

12 (1) produce educational materials and conduct 

13 presentations designed to raise awareness in the 

14 small business community of the benefits and the 

15 ease of telework; 

16 (2) conduct outreach— 

17 (A) to small business concerns that are 

18 considering offering telework options; and 

19 (B) to entities described in subsection (b); 

20 and 

21 (3) acquire telework technologies and equip22 ment to be used for demonstration purposes. 

23 (d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than the end 

24 of fiscal year 2009, the Administrator shall transmit to 

25 the Committee on Small Business of the House of RepVerDate Aug 31 2005 03:57 Jan 31, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5217.IH H5217

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1 resentatives and the Committee on Small Business and 

2 Entrepreneurship of the Senate a report containing the 

3 results of an evaluation of the program and any rec4 ommendations as to whether the program, with or without 

5 modification, should be extended. 

6 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

7 (1) 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); and 

10 (2) the term ‘‘telework’’ means the performance 

11 of any portion of work functions by an employee out12 side the normal place of business under cir13 cumstances which reduce or eliminate the need to 

14 commute. 

15 (f) TERMINATION.—The authority to carry out the 

16 program under this section shall terminate at the end of 

17 fiscal year 2009. 

18 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

19 authorized to be appropriated to the Small Business Ad20 ministration $5,000,000 to carry out this section. 

Æ 


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