| Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral |
Relating to authority for
certain state employees to work flexible hours and to work from home or other
authorized alternative work sites.
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
SB 1032 makes changes to Chapter 658 of the Government Code.
Specifically, this bill would permit state agency employees, with approval from
their supervisors, to work from an alternative worksite and they may do so outside
of regular working hours. To implement this new provision, the bill would have
the administrative head of a state agency adopt new policies that would allow
employees to work from alternative works sites.
5/22/2015 update:
No changes have been made to this bill in House committee. The second chamber sponsor is Rep. Celia Israel.
First chamber recommendation:
Currently, state law prohibits state employees from working
at home without prior consent from the administrator of a state agency.
Moreover, laws also set the regular office hours for these agencies. By
allowing state employees to telecommute for work, much efficiency could abound,
from improved worker output to the reduced traffic congestion.
We stand neutral on SB 1032 because it does not hinder our
five liberty principles, as any potential benefits to the state remain speculative. However, we caution that any new policies allowing state employees to telecommute should also include oversight measures to ensure that employees working remotely are doing the work they are paid to do.