Sponsors (2)
The bill expands and standardizes telework and remote-hiring flexibilities—making federal work more accessible and potentially saving office costs—while creating administrative costs and raising fairness, reimbursement, and implementation-consistency concerns.
Federal employees will be able to work full-time or routinely from approved alternative worksites, increasing flexibility and work–life balance for a large share of the federal workforce.
Qualified veterans, spouses of Armed Forces members, and (via a 7-year pilot) spouses of law enforcement officers can be noncompetitively appointed to eligible remote federal positions, expanding hiring and stable employment opportunities for these groups.
OPM-mandated regulations and agency guidance (required within 180 days) will standardize telework eligibility, security, and approval processes across agencies, making implementation clearer and more consistent.
Federal employees who telework but live within 75 miles of an agency worksite may not be reimbursed for travel to the office, increasing out-of-pocket commuting costs for some remote workers.
Noncompetitive appointment authorities for veterans and spouses could reduce competitive hiring opportunities and limit merit-based selection, potentially disadvantaging other qualified applicants.
Agencies may restrict telework for employees who have been disciplined for unauthorized absences or who have unacceptable performance, which reduces flexibility for affected workers.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Revises federal telework and remote-work definitions and rules, limits telework agreements, and allows noncompetitive appointments to designated remote positions for certain veterans and spouses with a 7‑year pilot for law enforcement spouses.
Introduced January 13, 2025 by James Lankford · Last progress January 13, 2025
Rewrites federal telework definitions, requires agencies to adopt updated telework and remote-work policies (including time-limited telework agreements and annual reviews), and adds limits on remote work. It creates authority for executive agencies to noncompetitively appoint certain qualified veterans and spouses to positions designated as remote-work roles, and establishes a 7-year pilot allowing noncompetitive appointments for spouses of law enforcement officers with OPM reporting and implementing regulations required within 180 days. The bill also includes an empty short-title line.