1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to public safety; establishing process to 
  1.3             encourage telecommuting. 
  1.4   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.5      Section 1.  [FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.] 
  1.6      When weather conditions create significant road congestion, 
  1.7   workers are unable to travel to work in a timely fashion, 
  1.8   resulting in significant economic loss of time and productivity, 
  1.9   as well as property damage and personal injury.  Traditional 
  1.10  transportation costs and congestion continue to increase, while 
  1.11  the costs of electronic technology are rapidly decreasing, 
  1.12  facilitating changes in where and how work is performed.  The 
  1.13  cost of government operations will be reduced if telecommuting 
  1.14  growth exceeds the growth in vehicle trip generation. 
  1.15     Sec. 2.  [TELECOMMUTING DAY.] 
  1.16     The department of public safety, in consultation with the 
  1.17  department of transportation and the United States Weather 
  1.18  Service, shall declare a telecommuting day when the criteria 
  1.19  established pursuant to section 3 are met.  On a telecommuting 
  1.20  day, employers shall be encouraged to direct as many employees 
  1.21  as possible to telecommute. 
  1.22     Sec. 3.  [CRITERIA FOR TELECOMMUTING DAY.] 
  1.23     The department of public safety shall establish criteria to 
  1.24  determine when to declare a telecommuting day and how to 
  2.1   communicate that declaration to affected employees.  The 
  2.2   department may consult with the department of employee 
  2.3   relations, the department of transportation, and private 
  2.4   telecommuting consultants in setting the criteria.  The criteria 
  2.5   shall relate to weather, road conditions, and other factors the 
  2.6   department finds to be relevant in making the determination.