Federal Employee Return to Work Act

Federal Employee Return to Work Act

This bill prohibits providing certain annual or locality-based pay increases to teleworking federal employees.

Currently, federal law mandates annual adjustments to General Schedule (GS) pay rates according to (1) a formula based on the annual percentage change in the Employment Cost Index (a measure of labor costs in the private sector); and (2) the difference between public and private sector pay rates in an employee's locality, if that difference exceeds 5%. For example, in 2025, the default annual rate of pay for a GS-7 (step 1) employee is $49,960; the adjusted annual rate of pay for a GS-7 (step 1) employee in the locality pay area that includes Washington, DC, is $57,164. 

The bill makes executive agency employees who telework at least one day each week (or, in the case of an alternative work schedule, 20% or more each week) ineligible for these payments.

The bill is effective on the first day of the fiscal year beginning after the bill's enactment. 

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 236 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 236

 To prohibit certain telework employees from receiving certain annual 
         adjustments to pay schedules, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 7, 2025

 Mr. Newhouse (for himself, Mr. Nunn of Iowa, Mr. Meuser, Mr. Weber of 
Texas, Ms. Boebert, Mr. Timmons, Mr. Ellzey, Mrs. Hinson, Mr. Collins, 
     Ms. Malliotakis, Mr. Carter of Georgia, Mr. Finstad, and Mr. 
 Fleischmann) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To prohibit certain telework employees from receiving certain annual 
         adjustments to pay schedules, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Federal Employee Return to Work 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Covered employee.--The term ``covered employee''--
                    (A) means an employee who teleworks not fewer than 
                1 day, or in the case of an alternative work schedule, 
                not less than 20 percent, a week; and
                    (B) does not include an employee who--
                            (i) teleworks not fewer than 1 day a week; 
                        and
                            (ii) is--
                                    (I) is disabled and receives 
                                reasonable accommodations;
                                    (II) a member of the Foreign 
                                Service of the United States;
                                    (III) a Federal law enforcement 
                                officer;
                                    (IV) a member of the Armed Forces 
                                on active duty; or
                                    (V) any other employee, the 
                                official worksite of whom is not 
                                described in section 531.605(a)(1) of 
                                title 5, Code of Federal Regulations 
                                (or any corresponding similar 
                                regulation or ruling).
            (2) Employee.--The term ``employee'' has the meaning given 
        the term in section 2105 of title 5, United States Code.
            (3) Telework.--The term ``telework'' has the meaning given 
        the term in section 6501 of title 5, United States Code.

SEC. 3. ANNUAL ADJUSTMENTS TO PAY SCHEDULES.

    No covered employee may receive an annual adjustment under section 
5303 of title 5, United States Code.

SEC. 4. PAY LOCALITIES.

    Each covered employee shall be paid at the rate of basic pay under 
the applicable grade and step for that employee under the locality pay 
area designated as ``Rest of U.S.''--
            (1) as of the date on which the employee becomes a covered 
        employee; and
            (2) which shall not be adjusted under section 5304 of title 
        5, United States Code.

SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act shall take effect on the first day of the first full 
fiscal year beginning after the date of enactment of this Act.
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