How to tell telework bills apart

Congress

How to tell telework bills apart

You can\'t tell the players without a scorecard!

Federal News Network Staff

May 3, 2010 12:11 am

< a min read

There are currently two bills in Congress to “enhance telework in the Executive Branch” and telling them apart can be difficult, if not impossible, for the casual observer.

So the Congressional Research Service has put together a sort of scorecard to help.

The Telework for Executive Branch Employees: A Side-by-Side Comparison of Legislation Pending in the 111th Congress compares and contrasts S. 707, the Telework Enhancement Act of 2009, and H.R. 1722, the Telework Improvements Act of 2010.

For example, both bills “would require the heads of executive branch agencies to establish policies” for telework “within 180 days after enactment of the act (Senate bill) or within one year after the enactment of the new Chapter 65 of Title 5 United States Code (House bill).”

One of the biggest differences is that the Senate version “would authorize test programs for telework travel expenses” while the House version makes no mention of it.

For more, you can find a pdf version of the report from the CBO at http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34516_20100330.pdf