Telework Improvements Act of 2007

To improve teleworking in executive agencies by developing a telework program that allows employees to telework at least 20 percent of the hours worked in every 2 administrative workweeks, and for other purposes.

6/3/2008--Passed House amended. Telework Improvements Act of 2008 -
(Sec. 2) Requires:
(1) the head of each executive agency to establish a policy under which employees may be authorized to telework;
(2) such policies to conform to telework regulations prescribed by the Administrator of General Services; and
(3) such policies to ensure that all employees are authorized to telework to the maximum extent possible and without diminishing employee performance or agency operations.
Declares that nothing in this Act shall:
(1) require agency heads to authorize teleworking in the case of employees whose duties and responsibilities require daily access to classified information, daily face-to-face contact with the public or other persons, or the use of equipment at the employee's regular place of employment or the performance of which from a site removed from the employee's regular place of employment is not feasible; or
(2) prevent the temporarily denial of permission for an employee to telework if the employee is needed to respond to an emergency or requires additional training or if the denial is necessary to achieve goals and objectives of agency programs.
Requires agency heads to:
(1) provide training to teleworkers; and
(2) ensure no distinction is made between teleworkers and nonteleworkers for the purposes of performance appraisals. Requires the General Service Administration (GSA) to:
(1) provide teleworking assistance and guidance to agencies; and
(2) prescribe regulations to ensure the adequacy of security protections for information and information systems used in, or otherwise affected by, teleworking. Requires GSA to maintain a central, publicly available telework website to be jointly controlled and funded by GSA and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Authorizes each agency to have a Telework Managing Officer to:
(1) serve as an advisor, a resource, and the agency's primary point of contact on teleworking matters;
(2) ensure that the agency's teleworking policy and programs are communicated effectively to employees;
(3) administer a tracking system for compliance with governmentwide telework reporting requirements;
(4) provide to the Comptroller General and to the Administrator of General Services information for annual reports;
(5) establish a system for receiving feedback from employees on the agency's telework policy;
(6) implement a program to remove barriers and to maximize opportunities to telework; and
(7) ensure that employees are notified of grievance procedures for telework disputes.
Requires the duties and responsibilities of the Telework Managing Officer to be carried out by the agency's Chief Human Capital Officer or by a career employee in any agency that doesn't appoint such an Officer.
Requires the Comptroller General to:
(1) establish a system for evaluating each agency's telework policy and employee participation in each agency's telework programs; and
(2) report annually to specified congressional committees on agency telework policies, participation, and practices.
Declares that an agency is not in compliance with this Act unless its authorized employees were permitted to telework for at least 20% of the hours that they worked in every two administrative workweeks (disregarding workweeks for which such employees did not submit a request or for which they were otherwise ineligible to telework.)
Requires agency heads to ensure that:
(1) telework is incorporated into the continuity of operations planning; and
(2) mission critical personnel are equipped to telework in time of a catastrophe. Provides that agencies' continuity of operations plans supersede their telework policies to the extent that they are inconsistent.

(Sec. 3) Establishes a Chief Human Capital Officers Council consisting of specified personnel from OPM, the Office of Management and Budget, GSA, and others who are designated by the Director of OPM. Directs the Council to advise and coordinate the activities of member agencies on such matters as modernization of human resources systems, improved quality of human resources information, telework, and legislation affecting human resources operations and organizations. Requires the Council to:
(1) ensure that representatives of federal employee labor organizations are present at a minimum of one of the Council's meetings each year; and
(2) report to Congress on its activities.

(Sec. 4) Requires the GSA to report to specified congressional committees within 12 months after the effective date of the government telework regulations on the incorporation of telework into agencies' continuity of operations planning.


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Sponsor

• Rep. Danny Davis [D, IL-7]
• and 9 Co-Sponsors
  • Rep. William Clay [D, MO-1]
  • Rep. Elijah Cummings [D, MD-7]
  • Thomas Davis
  • Rep. Stephen Lynch [D, MA-9]
  • Rep. James Moran [D, VA-8]
  • Rep. Eleanor Norton [D, DC-0]
  • Rep. John Sarbanes [D, MD-3]
  • Rep. Henry Waxman [D, CA-30]
  • Rep. Frank Wolf [R, VA-10]
  close

Committees

• Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
• 3 more
  • House Oversight and Government Reform
  • House Oversight and Government Reform
  • Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
  close

Amendments

This bill has no amendments.

Amendments to H.R.4106

Number	Status	Purpose

Bill Status

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Introduced		Voted on by House		Voted on by Senate		Considered By President		Bill Becomes Law
November 07, 2007		June 03, 2008

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All Bill Actions

• Jun 19, 2008: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs referred to Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia.
• Jun 04, 2008: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
• Passed by voice vote in the House on Jun 03, 2008. On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
• Jun 03, 2008: Considered under suspension of the rules.
• Jun 03, 2008: DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4106.
• Jun 03, 2008: Mr. Davis (IL) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
• Added to calendar on May 21, 2008: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 416..
• May 21, 2008: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Oversight and Government. H. Rept. 110-663.
• Mar 13, 2008: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
• Added to calendar on Mar 13, 2008: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote..
• Feb 28, 2008: Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
• Feb 28, 2008: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote .
• Nov 14, 2007: Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Post Office, and the District of Columbia.
• Nov 07, 2007: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E2343)
• Introduced on Nov 07, 2007.
• Nov 07, 2007: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

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Related Issue Areas:

• Government employees
• Administrative procedure
• Computer security measures
• Congress
• 18 more
• Congressional investigations
• Congressional reporting requirements
• Electronic government information
• Emergency management
• Employee training
• Executive departments
• Executive reorganization
• Federal employees
• Federal officials
• General Services Administration
• Government information
• Job training
• Law
• Productivity in government
• Rating of employees
• Technology
• Telecommunication
• Telecommuting

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June 03, 2008 Check out - HR 4106: Telework Improvements Act of 2007

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March 19, 2008 Teleworking: Not On Your Watch!

The so-called Telework Improvement Act (HR 4106) encourages agencies to let people telework the equivalent of two days per pay period. ...

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Blog Coverage

November 02, 2008 beSpacific: CRS: Telework Legislation Pending in the 110th ...

S. 1000, the Telework Enhancement Act of 2007, and H.R. 4106, the Telework Improvements Act of 2008, are currently pending in the 110th Congress. Two Senate amendments that include provisions to enhance telework were offered to S. 3268, ...

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October 10, 2008 New government documents in Milner Library, September 2008

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August 29, 2008 Telework Takes Off

On June 3, 2008, the House passed HR 4106 which would require agencies to develop a program allowing employees to telework at least 20 percent of every two-week work period. GSA currently provides 14 Remote Offices in the DC area that ...

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