Ernst Telework Transparency Bill Advances in U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs passed the Telework Transparency Act. The bipartisan bill, introduced by Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.), would require federal agencies to examine how telework impacts performance and federal property decisions.
This would create more accountability for serving Americans and save billions of taxpayer dollars.
Ernst’s dogged investigations into federal telework have uncovered glaring timecard fraud, rampant abuse of locality pay, and numerous shocking instances of bureaucrats misbehaving on taxpayer time by being in bubble baths, on the golf course, and even in jail.
“I am thrilled to see my bipartisan Telework Transparency Act pass out of committee and take a big step toward becoming law,” said Ernst. “Federal employees need to be held to the highest standards because it is a privilege to serve the millions of taxpayers, veterans, and senior citizens who utilize government services on a daily basis. It is time for bureaucrats to pull the plug on the bathtub drain and plug back into work.”
Background:
Since August 2023, Ernst has been demanding investigations into 24 federal departments and agencies to determine the impact of telework on the delivery and response times of services.
The Telework Transparency Act will:
- Require agencies to make policies publicly available online;
- Establish automated systems to track employee use of telework at each agency;
- Mandate periodic audits to determine if agencies are doing enough to verify teleworking employees are getting paid the correct locality-based pay;
- Monitor office building utilization and the effects of telework on agency performance, including customer service, backlogs and wait times, cost to operations, security, management of property, technology investments, and recruitment and retention; and
- Direct the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish quality data standards and compile the data in a centralized location to ensure transparency for the American people.
###
