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WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS FOR AIR QUALITY

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AMENDMENTS

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2021 GENERAL SESSION

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STATE OF UTAH

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Chief Sponsor: Daniel McCay

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House Sponsor: Mike Winder

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8     LONG TITLE
9     Committee Note:
10          The Economic Development and Workforce Services Interim Committee recommended
11     this bill.
12               Legislative Vote:     14 voting for     0 voting against     3 absent
13     General Description:
14          This bill enacts reporting and other requirements for the Department of Human
15     Resource Management (DHRM) related to teleworking by state employees.
16     Highlighted Provisions:
17          This bill:
18          ▸     defines terms; and
19          ▸     requires DHRM to:
20               •     cooperate with state agencies to provide and measure teleworking options for
21     state employees during bad air quality days; and
22               •     provide an annual written report regarding teleworking by state employees
23     during bad air quality days.
24     Money Appropriated in this Bill:
25          None
26     Other Special Clauses:
27          None

28     Utah Code Sections Affected:
29     ENACTS:
30          67-19-46, Utah Code Annotated 1953
31     

32     Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
33          Section 1. Section 67-19-46 is enacted to read:
34          67-19-46. Teleworking progress report.
35          (1) As used in this section:
36          (a) "Air quality index" means the index used by the Department of Environmental
37     Quality and the United States Environmental Protection Agency for reporting air quality.
38          (b) "Maroon air quality day" means a weekday in which the air quality index in the
39     county where an agency is located is measured as hazardous.
40          (c) "Purple air quality day" means a weekday in which the air quality index in the
41     county where an agency is located is measured as very unhealthy.
42          (d) "Red air quality day" means a weekday in which the air quality index in the county
43     where an agency is located is measured as unhealthy.
44          (e) "Teleworking" means an employee working from home through the use of a
45     computer, the Internet, a telephone, or other technology to complete work-related duties and
46     maintain contact with colleagues, clients, or a central office as needed.
47          (2) (a) The department shall cooperate with each state agency to encourage and
48     measure teleworking by employees during each day that is forecast by the Department of
49     Environmental Quality to be a red air quality day, a purple air quality day, or a maroon air
50     quality day.
51          (b) The department may identify and distribute to each state agency strategies and best
52     practices to:
53          (i) increase the use of teleworking by the agency's employees during red, purple, or
54     maroon air quality days;
55          (ii) inform the agency's employees in a timely manner of days that are forecast to be
56     red, purple, or maroon air quality days; and
57          (iii) encourage each state agency to meet a target goal of:
58          (A) 40% of the agency's employees teleworking on each red air quality day; and

59          (B) 70% of the agency's employees teleworking on each purple air quality day and each
60     maroon air quality day.
61          (3) On or before October 1 of each year the department shall provide a written report to
62     the Economic Development and Workforce Services Interim Committee describing:
63          (a) the number of employees and the percentage of employees from each agency that
64     are able to telework during red air quality days, purple air quality days, and maroon air quality
65     days;
66          (b) except for the initial written report on or before October 1, 2021, the number of
67     employees and the percentage of employees from each agency that have teleworked during red
68     air quality days, purple air quality days, and maroon air quality days during the previous fiscal
69     year;
70          (c) for each agency that has not met the target goals described in Subsection (2)(b)(iii),
71     impediments to achieving the target goals and recommended strategies to achieve the target
72     goals in the future; and
73          (d) for each agency, recommendations for any actions by the Legislature to increase the
74     number and percentage of employees that can telework on red air quality days, purple air
75     quality days, and maroon air quality days.