Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I want to thank my good friend from Massachusetts who has so ably shepherded this legislation to this point. The Telework Improvements Act is an important piece of legislation because it will help us meet five critical policy goals: reduction of dependence on foreign oil; reduction in traffic congestion; improvement in air quality; improvement in Federal recruitment and retention; and improvement in the continuity of operations plan for the Federal Government. I want to particularly thank Congressman John Sarbanes for his leadership in introducing this legislation; my friend and colleague from Virginia, Frank Wolf, who has long championed this cause; the Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry; and of course the ranking member on the subcommittee, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Chaffetz). Telework is an essential part of Federal personnel policy because it can help recruit and retain Federal employees. It can maintain continuity of operations in the event of an emergency, and reduce congestion and associated air pollution. That is very important in this National Capital Region, which is a nonattainment region as measured by the EPA. With 47 percent of the Federal workforce eligible for retirement sometime over the next 10 years or so, we must provide benefits that attract highly qualified employees. Many private companies already provide better telework benefits than does the Federal Government. We must not fall further behind.…”