House Oversight Committee Advances Federal Telework Expansion Bill

The House Oversight and Reform Committee advanced legislation this week aimed at enhancing federal telework policies. The Telework Metrics and Cost Savings Act (H.R. 7951) moves to the House floor for consideration by a vote of 23 to 17.

Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and John Sarbanes (D-MD) introduced the proposed legislation. H.R. 7951 would require agencies to provide 30 days’ advance notice to Congress and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) if they plan to limit telework access for federal employees, in addition to gathering more data regarding telework, including its cost and environmental benefits.

In addition, the plan empowers OPM to establish standards for agency telework data collection and use, devise supervisory and managerial telework training programs, and publish guidelines for management of telework.

“The pandemic will not last forever, hopefully, and the federal government will not maintain a pandemic-level telework posture in perpetuity. But we can’t ignore the hard lessons that this pandemic has taught us," Rep. Connolly said. "Telework saves money, helps recruit top talent, makes environmental sense, and it ensures a continuity of operations at agencies that families, businesses, and veterans can rely on each day.”

However, Republican committee members argued that teleworking by large numbers of federal workers has resulted in an increase in service backlogs. Instead, the Committee's Ranking Member James Comer (R-KY) suggested agencies revert to pre-pandemic telework levels until they could demonstrate an increase in telework will increase productivity.

“The Biden Administration has doubled down on expanded telework without fixing the problem. The administration’s priority is to provide federal workers with a shiny new perk, not to improve agency mission performance,” said Rep. Comer. “Our approach brings federal employees back to their offices until we understand and correct the adverse effects of expanded telework."

Numerous federal unions and organizations supported the bill, including the American Federation of Government Employees, the National Federation of Federal Employees, and the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers.

The Federal Managers Association (FMA) expressed optimism that the bill would improve the perception of telework among supervisors.

“We recognize there will always be jobs where telework is simply not an option. You cannot turn a screwdriver on an aircraft carrier from your couch in your living room," FMA National President Craig Carter said in a press release. "However, given the flexibilities technology allows us, it is critical that the federal government adapt and take advantage of the opportunities that telework provides, where possible.”

The bill now heads to the House floor for consideration.