Washington, D.C. - 7/14/2010 - Today, in a bipartisan vote, (290 -131) the House of Representatives approved Congressman John Sarbanes' Telework Improvements Act of 2010. This bill will expand telework opportunities for all federal workers, allowing employees to perform their duties and responsibilities from home or another work site removed from their regular place of employment.

"I believe this legislation is necessary so that a formal telework policy can be enacted across the Federal Government and sustained into future Administrations," said Congressman Sarbanes. "A robust telework program will not only improve government operations during a disaster, it could be used as a tool to reduce traffic congestion in the DC area. Telework has a positive impact on productivity, quality of life and the environment. If fully integrated, it can save taxpayers money by increasing efficiency, reducing federal office space and improving employee retention."

"Telework can be a great way to increase worker productivity, reduce traffic congestion, and protect the environment. This legislation will help the federal government make telework a priority when it is appropriate. It just makes sense," said Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger.

The government lost $71 million worth of productivity for each day it remained closed during the recent blizzards that blanketed our region, according to an updated estimate released by the Office of Personnel Management. This estimate was reduced from a projected loss of $100 million per day because roughly 30 percent of federal workers in the Washington area teleworked during the storm, OPM announced.

Once enacted, the bipartisan bill would:

• Instruct the Office of Personnel Management to develop a uniform, government-wide telework policy for federal employees;
• Strengthen the federal government's capacity to effectively integrate telework into Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP).
• Designate one person as a Telework Managing Officer within every agency;
• Provide telework training and education to both employees and supervisors;
• Require the Office of Personnel Management to compile government-wide data on telework; and
• Require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to evaluate agency compliance and produce an annual report to Congress that is publicly available on the internet.

"Traffic gridlock in our region results in lost productivity, less time spent with families, and pollution that poisons our air and alters our climate," said Sarbanes. "If more federal employees telework, not only will we improve their quality of life, we will relieve the overall strain on our transportation infrastructure and improve the daily commute for all area workers."