[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5217 Introduced in House (IH)]







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.

    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 Promotion 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) Federal, State, and local governments spend billions of 
        dollars annually on the Nation's transportation needs;
            (2) congestion on the Nation's roads costs lost work time 
        and increased fuel consumption;
            (3) on average, on-road vehicles contribute 34 percent of 
        nitrogen oxides emissions;
            (4) it is estimated that staying at home to work requires 3 
        times less energy consumption than commuting to work;
            (5) the average travel time to work is 25 minutes each way;
            (6) telework reduces the volume of peak commuter traffic, 
        thereby reducing traffic congestion and air pollution;
            (7) the Nation's communities can benefit from telework, 
        which gives workers more time to spend at home with their 
        families;
            (8) it is in the national interest to raise awareness 
        within the small business community of telework options for 
        employees;
            (9) 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;
            (10) companies with telework programs have found that 
        telework can boost employee productivity 5 percent to 20 
        percent, thereby saving businesses valuable resources and time;
            (11) individuals with disabilities, including service-
        disabled veterans, who own or are employed by small businesses 
        could benefit from telework to their workplaces;
            (12) telework has the potential to provide more employment 
        opportunities in rural communities; and
            (13) telework is seen as a valuable tool in disaster 
        preparedness and business continuity.

SEC. 3. SMALL BUSINESS DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator of the Small Business 
Administration shall carry out a competitive grant program under this 
section 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 the program, the Administrator shall make special efforts to 
conduct outreach to--
            (1) businesses owned by or employing individuals with 
        disabilities, and service-disabled veterans in particular;
            (2) Federal, State, and local agencies having knowledge and 
        expertise in assisting individuals with disabilities or 
        service-disabled veterans; and
            (3) any group or organization, the primary purpose of which 
        is to aid individuals with disabilities or service-disabled 
        veterans.
    (c) Permissible Activities.--Funds received under a grant may be 
used only to--
            (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) to entities described in subsection (b); and
            (3) acquire telework technologies and equipment to be used 
        for demonstration purposes.
    (d) Report to Congress.--Not later than the end of fiscal year 
2009, 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 program and any recommendations as to 
whether the program, with or without modification, should be extended.
    (e) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``disability'' has the same meaning as in 
        section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 
        U.S.C. 12102); and
            (2) 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.
    (f) Termination.--The authority to carry out the program under this 
section shall terminate at the end of fiscal year 2009.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Small Business Administration $5,000,000 to carry 
out this section.
                                 <all>