OR Plans $50K Treadmill Desks for Workers

Apparently not a joke

PORTLAND – Lawmakers want state workers to do more walking, and they'll probably use taxpayer money to get the workers off their chairs and into shiny new treadmill desks.

Given the importance of exercise and the expanding problem of obesity in America, most Oregonians would no doubt like their own walking station, which, when set at no more than 2 mph, makes it possible to stay active while working.

But the question is whether $50,000 in taxpayer money should be used for a pilot project in Oregon to test whether the treadmill desks actually improve workers' health. Pending legislation would make that happen, and the bill's sponsor, a Republican, says the project has a good chance of moving forward.