WHEREAS, The Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC) serves as the Metropolitan Planning Organization, Regional Transportation Planning Organization, and lead agency for Commute Trip Reduction in the Thurston Region on behalf of its membership; and
     WHEREAS, TRPC is celebrating the Mobile Work Exchange's International Telework Week March 3 – 7, 2014, with partners Intercity Transit and Washington State University; and
     WHEREAS, TRPC has participated in International Telework Week since its inception in 2011, creating an ad campaign with "Thurston Bigfoot" as a mascot and providing technical support for worksites affected under the commute trip reduction program and for local jurisdictions; and
     WHEREAS, International Telework Week was created to encourage employers to make use of telework, a work style where an employee performs his or her work off-site, typically from home one or more days a week, using telephones and the internet; and
     WHEREAS, TRPC also incorporated telework efforts into its federal EPA "Changing the Way We Travel" grant which aimed to reduce vehicle miles traveled in the more rural portions of the region; and
     WHEREAS, TRPC commissioned a study by Global Workplace Analytics which found that teleworking is beneficial to the environment because it reduces vehicle miles traveled and can lead to cost savings for companies, agencies, and employees; and
     WHEREAS, Thurston County government and the Washington State Department of Transportation have increased the use of telework in their agencies as a result of the work of TRPC;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State House of Representatives honor and recognize the Thurston Regional Planning Council's work in promoting telework in Thurston County, Washington, in an effort to improve continuity and productivity in the work place, reduce traffic, greenhouse gasses, and wear and tear on the roads, and promote work and life balance; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted by the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives to the Thurston Regional Planning Council.