Last week the House passed the Telework Enhancement Act (H.R. 1722) and sent it to the president for signature. The bill, which has been winding its way through Congress for much of this year, expands federal teleworking opportunities government-wide. It requires agencies to develop a teleworking policy and identify employees eligible to participate. Not every employee would be eligible under the legislation. Except in emergency situations, the bill would exempt employees whose official duties require, on a daily basis, the direct handling of secure materials or involve an on-site activity that cannot be performed remotely. The bill also gives agencies the authority to conduct telework travel expenses tests to pay travel expenses for teleworking employees who are required to report to the office more than a set number of times. Rep. Frank Wolfe (R-VA), an advocate for telework legislation for 20 years, stated in a press release that the bill is a “cost savings measure that will help the federal government implement a flexible workplace strategy proven successful in the private sector.” This legislation has been strongly supported by federal employee organizations and the White House, and the president is expected to sign it quickly.
Congress passes final telework bill
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[…] months after Congress passed the Telework Enhancement Act of 2011, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced that all federal employees should have been […]
I fully support HR 1722. We can now have opportunity to work from home when there’s snow days, road closures, etc…here in the Northwest USA. With a little bit of advnace planning, Fed employees can be ready for working at home and still produce results for our agencies and the US taxpayers.
Great for Civilian Employees, a big screw job to the military that work in DC. Today we were told telework does not apply to us, we are expected to show up regardless of the conditions or take forced leave.