Section 1 [Telecommuting] adds telecommuting limits to the list of policies that are not negotiable in collective bargaining for employees in the executive branch.

Minnesota Statutes, section 43A.18, provides that the terms and conditions of employment for employees represented by an exclusive representative must be governed solely by the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, except for policies listed in section 43A.01.  Therefore, by adding limits on telecommuting to the list in section 43A.01, this section ensures that the new telecommuting limit in section 2 is not usurped by terms in a collective bargaining agreement.

Section 2 [Limits on Telecommuting] limits telecommuting to 20 percent of regular hours for all civil service employees in permanent or probationary status. “Civil service” is defined elsewhere in statute to include all employees in classified and unclassified positions in the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government.

Section 3 [Repealer] repeals a requirement that state agencies increase the use of telecommuting before proposing or implementing a capital investment plan for a state office building.