1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to transportation; requiring study on impact 
  1.3             of telecommuting on transportation and resulting 
  1.4             effects on other areas affecting Minnesota citizens; 
  1.5             appropriating money. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [TELECOMMUTING STUDY.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [STUDY.] The transportation and public 
  1.9   transit finance division of the senate transportation and public 
  1.10  transit committee may gather information and coordinate a study 
  1.11  on telecommuting and telecommuter technology, its use, and its 
  1.12  known, potential, and predicted impact and effects on: 
  1.13     (1) transportation, including traffic congestion and 
  1.14  patterns; travel time management; traffic accidents; transit 
  1.15  use; construction, repair, and maintenance of infrastructure and 
  1.16  its useful life expectancy; personal and fleet vehicle repair 
  1.17  and maintenance; parking needs; motor fuel consumption; motor 
  1.18  fuel tax proceeds; and resulting efficiencies and economic 
  1.19  savings for telecommuters, their employers, and state and local 
  1.20  governments; and 
  1.21     (2) other aspects, including impacts on education, 
  1.22  environment, employment, commerce, health and human services, 
  1.23  government planning and services, and any other subject the 
  1.24  division considers as meriting study. 
  1.25     Subd. 2.  [FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND REPORT.] At the 
  2.1   division's request, a state agency shall fully cooperate and 
  2.2   assist the division with the study.  The division may avail 
  2.3   itself of, and adopt all or any part of, any study previously 
  2.4   conducted on the topics listed in subdivision 1 and may hear or 
  2.5   solicit testimony from any source.  The division may assign any 
  2.6   portion of the study to an appropriate state agency or its 
  2.7   staff, but shall coordinate all results of activities conducted 
  2.8   related to subdivision 1.  The division shall make findings and 
  2.9   recommendations and report them to the legislature by February 
  2.10  15, 1996. 
  2.11     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.12     $....... is appropriated from the general fund to the chair 
  2.13  of the transportation and public transit finance division of the 
  2.14  senate transportation and public transit committee for the 
  2.15  purposes of section 1.  The appropriation is available until 
  2.16  February 15, 1996.