S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
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                                   1134
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 10, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. ROZIC, COLTON, JAFFEE -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M.
   of A.  DINOWITZ -- read once and referred 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".
   § 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.
              

                                                            LBD00407-01-7

 A. 1134                             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  address the state's concern that the health, safety,
 economic vitality and mass transit operations of the downstate region be
 preserved and protected.
   §  3.  The  administrative  code of the city of New York is amended by
 adding a new section 12-140 to read as follows:
   § 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.
   § 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
 have become a law.