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A key House lawmaker is considering introducing legislation that would cut the budgets of all agencies and departments that fail to allow qualified employees to telework.

The proposal would expand on a provision included in the House version of the fiscal 2005 Commerce, Justice and State appropriations bill that would withhold as much as $5 million from a handful of agencies if they cannot show that qualified employees are allowed to telework at least once a week. The provision was sponsored by Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., a longtime telework advocate.

The House passed the spending bill in July and while the Senate version of the bill does not have the same provision, both Wolf and House Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va., expect the measure to be signed into law.

On Wednesday, Michael Layman, a House Government Reform Committee staffer, told a group of federal managers that Davis is considering introducing a measure similar to Wolf's that would urge all departments and agencies to step up telework efforts, or face budget cuts.

"We understand that the only two ways to get agencies to pay attention to Congress are to threaten their budgets or to drag them up to Capitol Hill to testify before members," said Layman, who spoke at the Telework in the Federal Government Conference. "This is an idea, telework, whose time has come. We on the Hill believe it is important."

Telework lowers the need for office space, reduces commuting time and prepares the federal government for emergencies, and these benefits should be emphasized, Layman said. He cited the Treasury Department as a top-performer for telework and said the Interior Department ranks at the bottom, with managers not allowing employees to participate.

"Management seems to keep telework from happening governmentwide," Layman said. "It can be unsettling for a manager to not see his or her employee, but if managers and employees just tried telework, they just might like it."

The 2001 Federal Telework Mandate requires managers to allow eligible employees to telework. The Office of Personnel Management's 2003 Telework Report, however, showed that agencies' telework numbers fell far below the goals laid out in 2001.

Because there is no standard defining what makes telework "certified," agencies can simply sign a document stating that they have made teleworking opportunities available to all employees. Layman said defining telework is something the Government Reform Committee has looked into, but it will likely be left up to the agencies.

COMMENTS

• If OPM can't get agencies to telework, or get affordable health benefit plans for civ servants, why not just abolish OPM? Seriously, what good is OPM, anyway? If Bush hates big government, why not send a signal by scrapping this bureaucratic behemoth? OPM's budget could be transferred to DHS (but not to TSA, who would just give it away in bonuses to "high-performing" managers). King of Flunkies GovExec.com reader Posted October 19, 2004 3:02 AM
• In large metropolitan areas teleworking makes sense for a variety of reasons. As a new federal employee in DC I was surprised to learn that no one at my division telecommutes becuase management "frowns upon" it. My previous private sector employer encouraged telecommuting because of increased productivity, traffic congestion and continuity of work should we find ourselves out of our office due to a natural disaster. Telecommuting was also a major portion of the disaster plan required by major lenders and clients. I applaud the efforts of the congressmen and women who are trying to move the federal workplace into this century. GovExec.com reader Posted October 15, 2004 7:03 PM
• You would think from the articles and comments that the Federal Government was trying to invent something that has never been done - teleworking. In fact, I know several people who telework. My daughter-in-law, for example, works for a large private company and telecomutes daily. She goes to where she has meetings when necessary and in some cases travels for work but as a general rule works out of her home. It is successful, she has done this for at least 4 years that I can remember. If it was so awful or if she was not productive, this would have ended long ago. It can be done, folks - management just needs to get off its dead butt and do it instead of making excuses. I, for one, am sick of the commute. When caught in traffic, I get into the office and am so stressed it takes a while to get into gear to start the day. Going into my home office, turning on the computer and beginning work would be so much more productive - and I wouldn't have the interruption of listening to someone in the next cubicle playing back their voice mail messages and conference calls at top volume. I know I could get more done faster - but that's not the government way then, is it? GovExec.com reader Posted October 15, 2004 4:35 PM