Senate Committee Advances Telework Reform Bill, Delays Monitoring Proposal Amid Lawmaker Concerns Over Privacy.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved bipartisan legislation on federal telework, but delayed action on a separate proposal due to lawmaker objections to a monitoring amendment. The Telework Reform Act of 2023, S. 3015, would support remote work training and reporting, but the “Telework Transparency Act of 2024” from Chair Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) would require agencies to reveal telework policies and better track remote workers. Sen. Mitt Romney proposed an amendment to ensure federal employees are performing their duties when they are away from work, potentially using a phone call to monitor such activity.