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

March 13, 2001

Mr. KERRY (for himself, Mr. DASCHLE, Mr. CLELAND, and Mr. WELLSTONE) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business

To direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to conduct a pilot program to raise awareness about telecommuting among small business employers, and to encourage such employers to offer telecommuting 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 Telecommuting Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds that--

(1) telecommuting reduces the volume of peak commuter traffic, thereby reducing traffic congestion and air pollution;

(2) the Nation's communities can benefit from telecommuting, 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 telecommuting options for employees;

(4) the small business community can benefit from offering telecommuting 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 telecommuting programs have found that telecommuting 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; and

(7) individuals with disabilities, including disabled American veterans, who own or are employed by small businesses could benefit from telecommuting to their workplaces.

SEC. 3. SMALL BUSINESS TELECOMMUTING 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 telecommuting among small business employers and to encourage such employers to offer telecommuting options to employees.

(b) SPECIAL OUTREACH TO INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES- In carrying out subsection (a), the Administrator shall make special efforts to do 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 telecommuting;

(2) conduct outreach--

(A) to small business concerns that are considering offering telecommuting options; and

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

(3) acquire telecommuting 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 telecommuting.

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 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 `telecommuting' means the use of telecommunications to perform work functions 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.

END