The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved bipartisan legislation on federal telework Wednesday but delayed action on a separate proposal because of lawmaker objections to a monitoring amendment.
The committee passed the “Telework Reform Act of 2023,” S. 3015, which would support remote work training and reporting. It advanced 9-2.
The markup wasn’t as smooth for the “Telework Transparency Act of 2024,” S. 4043, from Chair Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). It would task agencies with revealing telework policies and better tracking remote workers.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) floated an amendment to make sure federal employees are actually performing their duties when working away from the office. He said such monitoring could include a phone call.
