S3346-2011 Actions

• Feb 17, 2011: REFERRED TO CITIES

S3346-2011 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S3346

TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in
relation to teleworking programs

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF THE BILL:
This bill aims
to reduce congestion in Manhattan by increasing teleworking in New York
City agencies.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
The bill amends the
New York City Administrative Code by adding section 12-140 to require
New York City agencies to establish teleworking programs.

JUSTIFICATION:
Congestion is a genuine problem in New
York City, requiring thoughtful solutions which don't unnecessarily tax
New Yorkers. Teleworking offers an opportunity to reduce congestion and
complement efforts to reduce government issued parking placards. The
federal government and many states and municipalities have established
teleworking policies to get workers out of their cars, and not merely to
reduce congestion. Teleworking has been shown to increase productivity
and retention while reducing absenteeism. Private sector based
strategies include tax credits for businesses against the cost of
planning, training and capital purchases necessary to establish a
teleworking program (i.e., Georgia), or merely free consulting and
training for businesses interested in establishing teleworking programs
(i.e., Connecticut).

Numerous jurisdictions have established successful teleworking programs
for government employees. Arizona, for example, required (and achieved)
20% of state government workers in busy Maricopa County (including the
City of Phoenix) to telework. Virginia has required that each state
agency should have 25% of its employees teleworking by 2010. The federal
government requires its agencies to establish teleworking programs for
its employees, and over 100,000 federal employees participate.

New York City should be required to establish a teleworking program for
its employees, with appropriate goals for the p(:rcentage of city
workers teleworking.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Minimal.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
Ninety days after enactment.

S3346-2011 Text

 S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 
 
                                         3346
 2011-2012 Regular Sessions
 I N  SENATE
 February 17, 2011
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  KRUGER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Cities
 

AN ACT to amend the administrative code of the  city  of  New  York,  in
 relation to enacting the "New York city teleworking expansion act"
 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

Section 1. Short title.  This act shall be known and may be  cited  as
 the "New York city teleworking expansion act".
 

S  2. Legislative findings.  The legislature hereby finds and declares
 that the health and safety of the population living in  and  around  the
 densely populated New York city metropolitan region is a matter of state
 concern, as is the economic vitality and the effectiveness of mass tran
 sit in that region, all of which are threatened by the amount of traffic
 congestion  inside  of,  and  into,  New  York city, and the overcrowded
 buses, subways and railroads within the region.  Traffic  congestion  is
 particularly  harmful  to the mass transit bus systems run by the Metro
 politan Transportation Authority,  creating  delays  and  hindering  the
 growth  of essential surface mass transportation systems, and the entire
 mass transit system  suffers  from  severe  overcrowding.  The  negative
 impact of traffic congestion in New York city on the health, economy and
 mass  transit systems of the downstate region, as well as the overcrowd
 ing of the region's mass transit systems, were established  at  legisla
 tive  hearings in the spring of 2007, as well as during the hearings and
 reports of the legislatively created New York  City  Traffic  Mitigation
 Commission.  During these hearings, it was established that a very large
 number of New York city employees drive to work both from points  within
 New  York  city  and  without,  that  New  York city lacks a working and
 adequate telecommuting program for its employees, and that an  effective
 telecommuting  program  would  significantly  reduce  the number of such
 employees driving to work.  Likewise, a telecommuting  program  for  New
 York  city  employees would also allow employees who use mass transit to
 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD01328-01-1
 
       S. 3346                             2
 work from home, thereby alleviating  the  current  overcrowding  in  the
 region's  mass  transit  systems.  Such a program as established by this
 legislation would accomplish the state's concern that the health,  safe
 ty,  economic  vitality  and  mass  transit  operations of the downstate
 region be preserved and protected.
 

S 3. The administrative code of the city of New  York  is  amended  by
 adding a new section 12-140 to read as follows:

 

S 12-140 TELEWORKING PROGRAMS. A. EACH AGENCY SHALL ESTABLISH A POLICY
 AND  PROGRAM  TO  ALLOW  EMPLOYEES  TO PERFORM ALL OR A PORTION OF THEIR
 DUTIES THROUGH TELEWORKING TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT POSSIBLE WITHOUT DIMIN
 ISHED EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE. EACH  AGENCY  SHALL  DESIGNATE  A  "TELEWORK
 COORDINATOR"  TO  BE  RESPONSIBLE  FOR  OVERSEEING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF
 TELEWORKING PROGRAMS.
 B. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, THE TERM "TELEWORK" SHALL MEAN TO
 PERFORM NORMAL AND REGULAR WORK FUNCTIONS ON A WORKDAY  THAT  ORDINARILY
 WOULD  BE  PERFORMED  AT  THE AGENCY'S PRINCIPAL LOCATION AT A DIFFERENT
 LOCATION, THEREBY ELIMINATING OR  SUBSTANTIALLY  REDUCING  THE  PHYSICAL
 COMMUTE TO AND FROM SUCH AGENCY'S PRINCIPAL LOCATION.
 

S  4.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
 have become a law.

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