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US
states and telework
For many reasons, politicians all
over the world are becoming increasingly supportive of telework and
telecommuting. This listing of American elected officials (current
and past) support and endorse telework.
Contact us if you know of others.
See map showing
which US states use telework
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Arizona
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Following
oil pipeline rupture, Governor directs
all state agencies, boards and commissions to limit daily agency
travel and to make utilization of the Rideshare and Telework programs
an immediate high priority. |
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State Governor
Napolitano advances the State Telework Program with Executive Order |
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Former State
Governor Symington
mandated 15% of all Phoenix area State workers to telework as part of
his increased commitment to air quality |
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California
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Bill, SB 2021 Starting in
2001, qualified employers and employees in Los Angeles, Orange, and
Ventura will be eligible for a $500 tax credit if they use telework
and other alternative work arrangements to reduce traffic congestion
and improve air quality and worker productivity. Only newly created
positions would be eligible, and employees also must travel a
minimum of nine miles to their workplace and commute outside of
times other than normal "rush hours" |
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Governor Pete Wilson '94: In
an open letter to all California executives: "Telecommuting
also must play a role (in reducing the number of cars. A
telecommuting program at your firm can help solve transportation
challenges and improve our air quality and regional mobility. It
also can cut your costs and improve your employees
productivity." |
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Gov't Code, S. 14200-14203:
"The Legislature finds and declares the following: That
telecommuting can be an important means to reduce air pollution and
traffic congestion and to reduce the high costs of highway
commuting; that telecommuting stimulates employee productivity while
giving workers more flexibility and control over their lives. It is
the intent of the Legislature to encourage state agencies to adopt
policies that encourage telecommuting by state employees." |
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Assemblymember Liz Fugueroa: Introduced a bill into the California
State Assembly that authorized a $200 tax credit for each new
qualified residential teleworking position and a $100 tax credit for
each new qualified teleworking center position created during the
taxable year by the taxpayer and staffed by an hourly or salaried
employee residing in California during the taxable year. (Bill died in
committee) |
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Colorado
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31 Colorado Mayors urge Colorado businesses to consider telework to
help solve critical business and transformation issues, including the ongoing challenge to
attract and retain highly skilled workers in a tight job market. |
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Connecticut
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Sept 2005: The
Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act proposed by Senators Chris Dodd
(D-CT), and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), and Representatives Christopher
Shays (R-CT), Tom Davis (R-VA), and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) seeks to
remove a state-based penalty tax on interstate telecommuting.
According to Representative Shays,
"Telework is a critical tool to help lower spiraling gas costs and
our dependence on foreign oil. The Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act
would facilitate telework by prohibiting a punitive tax on Americans
who work from home for out-of-state employers. This is the time to
make telecommuting easier for Americans, not harder," he said. "I am
glad to have the support of The Telework Coalition in the effort to
empower more Americans to conserve fuel by telecommuting." |
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CT Senator
Chris Dodd to introduce a measure in the senate that will protect
Connecticut telecommuters from having to pay a second income tax to
the state of New York.
See story here |
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State set aside $55
million to urge commuters to opt for commuting
options including telecommuting and other . Governor Rowland said: "The choices are very simple:....When
to go to work; Where to work from; and How to get to work" |
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TelecommuteCT
is a $.5 million program to help state employers design and implement telecommuting programs |
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Florida
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Review
of Florida's Telecommuting Program |
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Florida
State Employee Telecommuting Program |
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Georgia
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2006 Georgia. State gives
tax breaks to firms who let workers telework. It will give employers
- a state income tax credit of up to
$20,000 if they conduct telework feasibility study
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a tax credit of up to $1,200 per employee if they implement telework
programs.
Details here
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Georgia bill would jump-start telework. Telecommuting may finally
be poised to take off in Georgia after years of false starts. A pair
of bills now before the state House of Representatives would reward
employers with annual tax credits of up to $1,500 for each employee
who works a certain amount of time from home rather than the office.
Supporters say incentives will encourage companies that have been slow
to get their employees out of their cubicles and off the roads. Gov.
Sonny Perdue championed telecommuting during his 2002 campaign and has
backed the idea of state financial assistance |
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Georgia State teleworking initiative has had trouble revving up.
Officials blame budget and legal constraints for problems they have
had getting only 1,500 Georgia state employees are teleworking at
least one day a month, two years after Gov. Sonny Perdue said the
number would be 25,000 - or roughly 25 percent of the state
government's workforce - by 2005 |
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(2004) Georgia proposes telework tax credits
Goal is to reduce congestion and air quality. Recipient teleworkers or
businesses could get from $500 to $5000, and would need to show how
their telecommuting program works and how many driving miles were
saved |
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Georgia State's
telework
policy (pdf). Also see Georgia Governor's
executive order (pdf) regarding telework |
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2003
Clean Air Campaign® Raises the Bar on Teleworking in Metro Atlanta:
Telework Leadership Initiative awards employers with up to $20,000
in consulting and cash to establish telework programs The Clean
Air Campaign® is accepting applications for the Telework Leadership
Initiative, a groundbreaking incentive program that provides
employers with up to $20,000 worth of resources to start or expand a
telework program. The Clean Air Campaign is a not-for-profit
organization working to reduce traffic congestion and improve air
quality in metro Atlanta |
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(2002) Georgia
Governor wants 25,000 state teleworkers as a viable
alternative for dealing with traffic, pollution and quality-of-life
issues |
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Governor Zell Miller '98: Mandated all 26,000 state employees to
reduce solo trips to and from work by 20% on Ozone Action
Days....telework is an ideal commute option. When an ozone alert is
issued, practiced teleworkers can easily collect enough work to be
highly productive at home, playing their part in reducing emissions
and single occupancy vehicles during peak congestion periods". |
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Kansas
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Kansas Assistive Technology
Cooperative (KATCO) helps persons with disabilities find telework
employment with loans for adaptive equipment and home office
modifications |
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Kentucky
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Kentucky State
Telecommuting White Paper: Policy and Technology Issues |
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State of Kentucky
telecommuting program ( MS
Word) |
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Maine |
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Gov. John Baldacci
signs executive order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990
levels by 2010. He has asked state officials to review and report on
existing telecommuting programs by January 2005. He wants the State to
assume a leadership role in addressing the serious risk of climate
change by promoting more efficient use of energy in the transportation
sector |
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Maryland
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Apr 04 Bill supporting tax
incentives for private companies offering telecommuting programs in
Maryland made it through the House by a 139 to 0 vote,
but
died in the Senate. Will try again next year. |
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Mar 04:
Telework legislation (House Bill 1101) offers over half million
over three years to help employers and teleworkers. Employers would
get tax credit of up to 25% of telework costs (up to $5,000/yr). A
side bill mandates telework for state employees (sort of like the
federal telework law) |
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Maryland's DOT initiates The Telework
Partnership Offers
free professional telework consulting services to Maryland
Employers. Also, the state's Telecommuting Pilot Program requires a
statewide telecommuting pilot program for all government agencies
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Working From Home Gains
Converts - Governments Warming To Telecommuting Option |
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Feb
2002: Sue
Hecht of the Maryland House of Delegates submits "Telework Tax Incentive Act".
Aim is to provide a
$500 tax credit for employees and/or employers to promote teleworking in the private sector |
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Governor Parris Glendening (2000) offers 'pay-me-not-to-drive'
incentives to employers and employees to address traffic and air
pollution problems. Gives a special pay boost for lower wage workers
while saving employers money |
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Establishes $600,000 fund to help employers establish telework programs to reduce traffic congestion and improve the
quality of life of state residents. Signs into law the state's
Telecommuting Pilot Program which requires the establishment of a
statewide telecommuting pilot program for all government agencies. |
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Massachusetts
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Massachusetts Division of Energy Resources (DOER)
Massachusetts Telecommuting Initiative |
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Minnesota
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Senator Paul Wellstone, D-Minn. introduces Rural Telework Act of
2000 to provide funding to local organizations to help train,
connect and then employ rural workers to do "telework"
jobs in the information technology field in their own communities. |
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Statute s. 15.95 sub. 10 '94 Says no state agency may propose or
implement a capital investment plan for a state building unless it
receives approval from the state for increasing telecommuting by
employees who would normally work in the building, or can prove that
such a plan is not practicable. |
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Montana
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Montana passes a bill
formally authorizing state agencies to promote "teleworking" by
employees. The thinking is that telework makes employees more
productive, reduces office space needs and attracts more workers to
the labor force. The bill merely recognizes that in the law and gives
the Legislature some oversight. See story
here. See actual
bill here |
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New York State |
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New York State telework program
Check it out
here |
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North Carolina
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North Carolina
State Teleworking program |
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Telework
Feasibility Study published by State Auditor Ralph Campbell
concluded that if 5% of state employees teleworked, they would save
over $23 million in improved productivity, reduced office
space and turnover costs. |
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North Virginia
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2003: Gov.
Mark R. Warner: Virginia state can't
afford to build big new highways, so it's looking for smaller,
quick-fix solutions, including telecommuting, to gridlock. Governor
willing to invest $20 million for several related projects to ease
congestion |
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Oregon
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The Oregon
Department of Energy
actively
promotes telework because it conserves fuel, relieves traffic
congestion, and improves air quality -- and because it makes good
business sense. The State has developed an aggressive Telework
Program that:
- helps cities offer state tax credits, low-interest loans, and/or other
incentives to assist with purchasing and installing new or
used equipment that allows an employees to telework
- provides ongoing
resources to assist employers develop custom-fit telework programs
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Texas
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Texas
State Comptroller
recommends telework
and its savings potential |
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Texas State
telework
Guidelines |
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Utah
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Governor Mike Leavitt '99: Proclaimed May 14 as Utah Telecommuting
Day. Employers were encouraged to allow eligible employees to spend
the day productively working from home instead of sitting in traffic
on a congested freeway. |
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Vermont
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Department Of Labor Grant
establishes Vermont Work at Home. The Vermont Telecom Advancement Center (VTAC), in collaboration with
Vermont State and private agencies working to relieve unemployment
throughout Vermont, plan to train unemployed and underemployed
workforce, enabling them to work at home. Vermont Work at Home is hosting a
national seminar (June
2004) in Stowe, Vermont |
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Virginia
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Telework!VA This program
exists to reduce overcrowding on Virginia's highways, thereby
reducing real estate and parking costs; as well as improving
productivity. Under the program's $3.2 million budget, companies
can receive:
- $10,000 toward the cost of leasing equipment (fax machines,
computers and high-speed Internet connections);
- up to $35,000 (or $3,500 per employee), for the cost of
telecommuting-related equipment and services;
- up to $25,000 for technical consulting; |
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Virginia Governor creates
Office of Telework Promotion and Broadband Assistance |
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Governor James
Gilmore Seeks to offer $10 million in tax
incentives and grants for companies that let their employees
telework rather than contributing to rush hour traffic. This
addresses two of Virginia's most pressing problems: transportation
and work force shortages. |
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Washington State
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(June
2001): Governor Gary Locke directs state agencies to
dramatically increase use of telecommuting and flexible work hours
to show how employers can reduce traffic congestion. |
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Senate Bill 5171 (Jan '01)
Legislation sponsored by Sen. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle, would create:
a temporary joint task force on telework enhancement; a telework
enhancement board with funds to expand telework opportunities; and
tax incentives for employers |
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Wyoming
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Wyoming Department of Audit discovers several employees who worked
from home 5 days per week in violation of the rules regarding the
number of days allowed (1 to 3) |