Official Time Reporting Act

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2783 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2783

  To amend title 5, United States Code, to require that the Office of 
 Personnel Management submit an annual report to Congress relating to 
             the use of official time by Federal employees.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 22, 2021

 Mr. Hice of Georgia (for himself, Mr. Comer, Mr. C. Scott Franklin of 
     Florida, Mr. Norman, Ms. Mace, Mr. Sessions, and Ms. Herrell) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Oversight and Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 5, United States Code, to require that the Office of 
 Personnel Management submit an annual report to Congress relating to 
             the use of official time by Federal employees.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Official Time Reporting Act''.

SEC. 2. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.

    (a) In General.--Section 7131 of title 5, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e)(1)(A) Not later than March 31 of each calendar year, the 
Office of Personnel Management, in consultation with the Office of 
Management and Budget, shall submit to each House of Congress a report 
on the operation of this section during the fiscal year last ending 
before the start of such calendar year.
    ``(B) Not later than December 31 of each calendar year, each agency 
(as defined by section 7103(a)(3)) shall furnish to the Office of 
Personnel Management the information which such Office requires, with 
respect to such agency, for purposes of the report which is next due 
under subparagraph (A).
    ``(2) Each report by the Office of Personnel Management under this 
subsection shall include, with respect to the fiscal year described in 
paragraph (1)(A), at least the following information:
            ``(A) The total amount of official time granted to 
        employees.
            ``(B) The average amount of official time expended per 
        bargaining unit employee.
            ``(C) The specific types of activities or purposes for 
        which official time was granted, and the impact which the 
        granting of such official time for such activities or purposes 
        had on agency operations.
            ``(D) The total number of employees to whom official time 
        was granted, and, of that total, the number who were not 
        engaged in any activities or purposes except activities or 
        purposes involving the use of official time.
            ``(E) The total amount of compensation (including fringe 
        benefits) afforded to employees in connection with activities 
        or purposes for which they were granted official time.
            ``(F) A description of any room or space designated at the 
        agency (or its subcomponent) where official time activities 
        will be conducted, including the square footage of any such 
        room or space.
    ``(3) All information included in a report by the Office of 
Personnel Management under this subsection with respect to a fiscal 
year--
            ``(A) shall be shown both agency-by-agency and for all 
        agencies; and
            ``(B) shall be accompanied by the corresponding information 
        (submitted by the Office in its report under this subsection) 
        for the fiscal year before the fiscal year to which such report 
        pertains, together with appropriate comparisons and analyses.
    ``(4) For purposes of this subsection, the term `official time' 
means any period of time, regardless of agency nomenclature--
            ``(A) which may be granted to an employee under this 
        chapter (including a collective bargaining agreement entered 
        into under this chapter) to perform representational or 
        consultative functions; and
            ``(B) during which the employee would otherwise be in a 
        duty status.''.
    (b) Applicability.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall be 
effective beginning with the report which, under the provisions of such 
amendment, is first required to be submitted by the Office of Personnel 
Management to each House of Congress by a date which occurs at least 6 
months after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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