[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 165 (Friday, November 19, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2460]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          INTRODUCTION OF THE SMALL BUSINESS TELECOMMUTING ACT

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                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 1999

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, today, I am introducing the Small 
Business Telecommuting Act, a bill designed to raise awareness about 
telecommuting among small business employers and to encourage employers 
to offer telecommuting options to their employees.
  In many areas of this country urban sprawl and traffic congestion are 
growing at alarming rates. Telecommuting surely is part of the answer 
to reducing traffic congestion and air pollution.
  Mr. Speaker, telecommuting has many positive bi-products to which I 
would like to draw my colleagues' attention.
  Traffic congestion: telecommuting could reduce peak commuter traffic, 
thereby reducing traffic congestion and air pollution.
  Family wellness: telecommuting benefits the health of our communities 
by giving workers more time to spend with their families.
  Employee productivity: studies have shown that telecommuting 
increases both employee productivity and morale, which in turn helps 
the business bottom line.
  This legislation will direct the Administrator of the Small Business 
Administration to conduct a pilot program to raise awareness about 
telecommuting among small business employers. Telecommuting is quickly 
becoming a standard business practice. High-tech industries have 
employed telecommuting with great success for many years. In addition, 
the Federal Government has embraced telecommuting as well. This 
legislation will encourage and aid our nation's small business owners 
to embrace telecommuting.
  Telecommuting in the small business community is a critically 
important tool, because it would allow small employers to retain valued 
employees with irreplaceable skills and institutional memory when their 
lives no longer allow them to be in the office daily.
  Mr. Speaker, all around us we see remarkable strides being made in 
the use of technology to improve our quality of life and allow us to 
work more efficiently. I believe the Small Business Telecommuting Act 
will allow our nation's small business owners to also reap the benefits 
of these technological strides.

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