House approves telework bill

The House approved July 14 a second try a bill that would require agencies to allow telework to the maximum extent possible.

Now that the House voted 290-131 in favor of it, the bill--or a comparable version of it--likely will be sent to the White House for approval since the Senate already approved on May 25 a similar bill. The House rejected the bill in a vote on May 6, due in part to objections over cost and doubts about telework itself.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that implementing the bill will cost $30 million over five years, but proponents have touted the bill's potential to salvage productivity when workers are otherwise prevented coming into work, such as during the 2010 metro-Washington, D.C., snowpocalypse. The government lost $71 million worth of productivity for each of the four days it was closed, according to a statement by the bill's sponsor, Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.)

The final House bill includes changes introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) that would make ineligible for telework any employee disciplined for viewing, downloading, or exchanging pornography while performing official duties. Issa's changes also prevent employees from engaging in union or collective bargaining activities while teleworking.

The National Treasury Employees Union released a statement July 14 praising passage of the bill. "Increasing federal telework saves gas, reduces road congestion and improves work-life balance," said NTEU President Colleen Kelley.

In fiscal 2009, 102,900 federal employees teleworked, according to a five year Office of Personnel Management strategic plan, which seeks to increase that number by 50 percent by fiscal 2011, which starts in October. A recently-released OPM survey of civil servant job satisfaction found that 35.4 percent of full-time federal employees view their agencies' telework policies positively, somewhat less than the 38.6 percent who gave a positive response in 2006 and the 39.9 percent who gave a positive response in 2008.

For More:
- go to the THOMAS webpage for the House Telework Improvements Act and webpage for the Senate Telework Enhancement Act
- read statement on House passage from Reps. Sarbanes and Issa, and the NTEU

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