Congresswoman Ashley Hinson from Iowa's 2nd District has taken a stance against location-based pay raises for federal employees who do not work in the office. She is an original co-sponsor of the Federal Employee Return to Work Act, which was introduced by Representative Dan Newhouse of Washington's 4th District. The proposed legislation aims to prevent American taxpayers from funding such bonuses if federal employees are not physically present at their workplaces.
Hinson expressed her concerns about current telework policies, stating: “Bureaucrats have been abusing federal telework policies for far too long. This commonsense bill ensures that federal bureaucrats can’t game the system to receive a location-based pay raise if they don’t work in the office. It’s past time for all federal employees to show up to work in person and give 100% for taxpayers."
According to findings from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), at the beginning of 2023, 17 out of 24 federal agencies were utilizing only 25% or less of their headquarters' building capacity. Furthermore, six agencies were reported as being on average 91% vacant while their employees continued to receive a locality bonus averaging 16.44%, despite limited office attendance. Among these agencies were the Social Security Administration, the Small Business Administration, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The bill seeks to exclude certain federal employees who telework at least one day per week from receiving location-based raises and special bonuses when their office is located in high-cost areas but they are working remotely.
Full details of the bill can be accessed online.
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