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The push to enforce stricter telework (or remote work) policies for federal workers is once again on debate in Washington, D.C.
This time, in the form of a 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill.
The bill would enforce more stringent telework reporting requirements and advocates for a return to in-person work.
The bill mandates that federal agencies publicly disclose their office space utilization rates in Washington, D.C., and that they update this information quarterly, with aa 90-day window to make this data available online.
The legislation also demands detailed reports highlighting how many employees receiving D.C. locality pay have worked in person at a D.C. office for fewer than two days per week over the past year.
This bill has not been without pushback. The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) have voiced strong opposition to the bill.
Moreover, Federal News Network reports one study from the Congressional Budget Office reveals that federal employees work remotely less often than their private-sector counterparts.
The debate between maintaining flexibility for federal employees and ensuring accountability and effective productivity persists in other bills as well. For example, the Telework Transparency Act (S. 4043) was proposed by Chariman Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). The bill would require federal agencies to publish their telework policies online and develop automated systems to track telework utilization and its impact on agency performance.
Another bill proposed by U.S. Senators Mitt Romney and Joe Manchin introduced the “Back to Work Act” (S. 4266) on May 7, a bipartisan bill which proposes limiting telework for federal employees at 40% of their total work hours.
The outcome the debates surrounding proposed telework legislation will greatly shape the future of federal remote work in the U.S., impacting recruitment and retention surrounding federal agencies, as well as commercial real estate.
