Bill History

• The bill was sponsored by Sen. Daniel Akaka of Hawaii and introduced on March 25, 2009. The bill passed the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent on May 24, 2010. As of July 2010, the bill had not yet been voted on by the U.S. House of Representatives.
  
  

Explanation

• Telework, also known as telecommuting and e-work, describes an employment scenario in which employees work from a computer or off-site rather than in a traditional office environment.
  
  

Eligible Employees

• The act requires each branch of the government to create and implement a telework policy. This includes determining and training employees eligible for telework adoption. Employees who handle sensitive and classified documents would not be eligible for telework.
  
  

Cautions

• The act stipulates that telweork and nontelework employees be dealt with equally in terms of opportunity, tasks delegated and performance reviews. Telework procedures must not interfere with "employee performance or agency operations," according to the bill.
  
  

OPM Responsibility

• The act requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to create a telework website, outline telework policies and procedures and enact "qualitative and quantitative measures and teleworking goals." The OPM must also report to congressional committees each year on the telework progress of each agency.
  
  

Individual Agency Responsibility

• Under the act, each government office would name a Telework Managing Officer to lead implementation efforts. The officer would report annually to the Chief Human Capital Officers Council.