Issue Position: Telework for Federal Employees

Issue Position

I have been a long-time and staunch supporter of telework or telecommuting. Telework offers a 21st century workplace option that can reduce traffic congestion and air pollution, as well as cut gasoline consumption and dependency on foreign oil. Study after study has shown that telework benefits employees and employers. It gives employees the flexibility they need to meet daily demands.

Employers - both government and private businesses - get the benefit of increased productivity, improved morale, fewer sick leave days used, better worker retention, and reduced costs for office space.

My legislation enacted in 2001 mandated a phased-in program to expand the number of federal employees who telework with the goal of giving every eligible federal worker this workplace option by the end of 2005. While annual surveys by the Office of Personnel Management on telework by federal employees have shown some progress in meeting the law's mandate, there is much more that agencies can do to expand the number of federal telecommuters. To emphasize the importance of telework in the federal workplace, I included provisions in the FY 2005, FY 2006 and FY 2007 spending bills for the departments of Commerce, Justice, and State and related agencies to withhold $5 million from the agencies which fail to meet the 2001 law.

Telework Enhancement Act of 2010

On November 18, 2010 the House cleared the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 for the president's signature. The bipartisan bill passed the House by a vote of 254 - 152. Click here to read my statement submitted into the Congressional Record. You can also view a press release from the Partnership for Public Service here.

Telework Improvement Act of 2009

I am the Republican sponsor of H.R. 1722, the Telework Improvements Act of 2009, with Reps. John Sarbanes and Gerry Connolly. This needed legislation would require the head of each executive agency to establish a policy under which employees may be authorized to telework and allow authorized employees to be allowed to telework at least 20 percent of the hours worked in every two administrative workweeks.

Last Congress, this bill was overwhelmingly passed by the House in June 2008 but was not considered by the Senate before adjournment. I am hopeful that this Congress will send this legislation to the president for enactment.

Holding Federal Agencies Accountable on Telework

As the author of the 2001 telework law, I have a strong interest in ensuring that federal agencies are fully complying and implementing telework for eligible employees. As telework is more widely adopted by the private sector, it is critical that the federal government continue to keep pace to increase efficiency, recruit excellent employees, and ensure continuity of government. The federal government must be the model for telework.

Certain agencies, such as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office have embraced telework and have found that it has boosted employee productivity and is an excellent recruitment tool. Unfortunately, other agencies have failed to follow its example. Below you will find my recent oversight letters to federal agencies regarding telework implementation

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