REMOTE Act

This bill tells federal departments to track and compare computer use for people who work from home and those who work at the office. Agencies must record, for each worker, how many times they log in each day, how long they are connected, and how much network data they use. For office workers at headquarters, logins must use a government ID card. For teleworkers, managers must also review their network activity from time to time. Agencies must publish this data each year in their budget materials, comparing average login rates of remote workers to on‑site workers, while protecting personal information . If a manager takes away a worker’s telework privileges for a specific reason, the manager must give written details to the employee and the agency’s human capital office, including recent telework days and reasons for the change, and note any discipline steps taken earlier. Each year, agencies must also report any negative effects of telework policies, such as more discipline cases. Most data must be kept for at least three years before it can be deleted .

Key timing and impact:

• Within 180 days: agencies start tracking office logins at headquarters and set up policies to record telework activity; they must use ID cards for office logins starting then .
• Within 1 year: agencies begin keeping detailed telework data (logins, connection time, and network traffic) and set data‑retention rules (no deletion before three years) .
• Each fiscal year after that: agencies publish comparisons of remote and on‑site login rates in their budget materials, with personal info protected .

Small summary table:

• Who is affected: Federal executive departments, their employees, and relevant contractors who telework or work at headquarters .
• What changes: Mandatory tracking of logins, connection time, and network traffic; public reporting of remote vs. on‑site login rates; written records when telework is revoked; annual reports on any negative effects of telework policy; three‑year minimum data retention .
• When: Starting 180 days after enactment for office tracking; one year for full telework data retention; yearly reports and comparisons continue after that .