PECG Backing Bipartisan State Telework Bill at First Hearing on Wednesday

AB 1729 would maintain taxpayer savings, environmental gains and recruiting and retention advantages.

SACRAMENTO, CA, UNITED STATES, April 7, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Professional Engineers in California Government (PECG) will urge the Assembly Committee on Public Employment and Retirement to support Assembly Bill 1729 — legislation that would save hundreds of millions of dollars annually by continuing flexible telework for state employees — at the bill’s first legislative hearing.

The committee will convene at 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 8, in State Capitol Room 444.

AB 1729, authored by Assemblymember Alex Lee (D–San José) and co-authored by Assemblymember Josh Hoover (R–Folsom), would require state agencies to develop telework plans and provide written justification when ordering employees back to the office. According to the State Auditor, telework can save taxpayers $225 million annually by reducing state office space and overhead — a critically important benefit given California ongoing budget challenges.

Under AB 1729:
• Every state agency must develop and implement a telework plan.
• Departments requiring employees to report onsite must provide written justification, ensuring telework is offered to the fullest extent possible, consistent with the Department of General Services (DGS) Statewide Telework Policy.
• The state’s telework dashboard will be re-established to document and share the measurable public benefits of telework.

The measure is written to take effect immediately upon the Governor’s signature.

WHAT: First Assembly Committee hearing for AB 1729 (Lee) — State employment: telework programs
WHEN: Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 9 a.m.
WHERE: State Capitol, Room 444
WHO: Assembly Committee on Public Employment and Retirement
AUDIO & VIDEO STREAM: https://aper.assembly.ca.gov/hearings
INTERVIEWS: Ted Toppin, PECG Executive Director, available for in-person media interviews at the Capitol following the hearing, or by phone. Contact Jon Ortiz at (916) 761-8267 or jortiz@pecg.org.

BACKGROUND
Data show that flexible telework delivers cost-effective and efficient public services, reduces traffic congestion and emissions, and helps recruit and retain talented state employees. PECG sponsored AB 1729 to put those benefits into law.

ABOUT PECG
Founded in 1962, Professional Engineers in California Government represents more than 15,000 state-employed engineers and related professionals responsible for designing and inspecting California’s infrastructure, improving air and water quality, and developing clean energy and green technology.

Jon Ortiz
Professional Engineers in California Government
+1 916-761-8267
email us here

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