Measure Links Funds to Telecommuting

The House has passed a spending bill covering the departments of Justice, State and Commerce (HR-2862) along with the Small Business Administration, Securities and Exchange Commission, NASA and the National Science Foundation requiring that those agencies certify that their workers who are eligible to telecommute are allowed to do so, or else forfeit $5 million at the end of the fiscal year. The language was sponsored by Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., a major congressional opponent of telecommuting who has tried numerous approaches over the years to encourage agencies to allow more federal employees to work from home or from telecommuting centers, at least part time. He sponsored similar language affecting many of the same agencies in the spending bill covering the current fiscal year and has asked the Government Accountability Office to review the reports submitted by those agencies.