Telework measure clears subcommittee

The House Oversight and Government Reform Federal Workforce Subcommittee on Thursday passed legislation aimed at increasing chances for federal employees to telecommute.

Comment on this article in the forum.The Telework Improvement Act of 2007 (H.R. 4106) passed 3-0 on a voice-vote at a sparsely attended hearing. The bill requires that all federal agencies create telework polices and develop programs to train managers and employees to take advantage of teleworking opportunities. It also requires that all agencies appoint telework managing officers to promote telework. The bill gives the General Services Administration responsibility for helping agencies make those changes.

House Oversight and Government Reform Federal Workforce Subcommittee Chairman Danny Davis, D-Ill., added a manager's amendment that lets agencies restrict employee teleworking during emergencies and allows GSA to waive a requirement that telework managers must be senior-level civil servants. The latter change represents a response to concerns raised by subcommittee Republicans who questioned if agencies need to add senior officials to oversee telework rather than relying on chief human capital officers.

The bill aims to strengthen telework requirements established in 2001. Though that law required agencies to create telework polices, Davis and other members said telework remains underutilized by federal agencies. According to a December Office of Personnel Management report, the number of federal employees who telecommute fell from 119,248 in 2005 to 110,592 in 2007, Davis noted.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., said the bill is particularly important for federal workers in the District of Columbia due to the need to reduce crowding on subways, traffic and pollution in the region.