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Washington, D.C.—A key House Committee has approved legislation to expand and strengthen federal telework initiatives, a move that was commended by the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).

Marked up today in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the bill, H.R. 4106, would allow more federal employees to participate in telework programs and create a reliable method to measure and track federal agencies’ progress in creating telework opportunities.

“Experience has shown that telework has many advantages,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley. “It can increase workplace productivity as well as save energy, improve air quality, reduce roadway congestion and enhance the overall quality of life at work and at home.”

Under H.R. 4106, all federal agencies would be required to:

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Develop a telework program that allows employees to telework at least 20 percent of every two-week work period;

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Designate a senior level employee to serve as a ‘telework managing officer’; and

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Incorporate telework into their continuous operational planning.

Companion legislation, S. 1000, last fall won approval by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. “It is my hope that Congress approves comprehensive federal telework legislation by the end of the year,” President Kelley said.

Institutional barriers to telework across the federal government are high. Management reluctance is often cited as the most significant impediment to the proper development and expansion of telework. Recent information from the Office of Personnel Management indicates that only 6.6 percent of the national federal workforce participates in any sort of telework program.

“What is needed for telework to succeed is leadership, openness and a sense of innovation from federal agency management,” Kelley said. “Their collaboration is essential if any telework program is going to be truly effective. Where the leadership and collaboration do not exist, Congress must use its authority to see that it is created.”

As the largest independent federal union, NTEU represents 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments.