Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 1722 would require each executive agency to establish a policy under which employees may be authorized to telework to the maximum extent possible without diminishing employee performance or agency operations. Telework has been shown to save money on infrastructure, transportation, and other costs. At the Patent and Trade Office, for instance, millions of dollars have been saved through the reduction of office space due to increased use of telework. In addition, telework has proven to be an effective way to attract and retain highly qualified, skilled, and motivated employees. As the baby boomer generation begins to retire, these types of tools will be essential to ensuring that the Federal Government can attract the next generation of employees. This bill would require the Office of Personnel Management to maintain a central, publicly available telework Web site, including regulations regarding telework, and a confidential hotline and email address to report abuse. It will also help ensure telework is included in continuity of operations planning. We saw earlier this year the amazing amount of snow that fell upon Washington, D.C. If we had more extensive telework plans in place, I think the cost to the government would have been certainly diminished. We must ensure that privacy and security is maintained. That is paramount.…”