REMOTE Act

Senate Bill

S. 21

119th Congress

REMOTE Act

In Committee

Introduced:Jan 7, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Joni Ernst

Senator

Republican

IA

Cosponsors

2

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Government Operations and Politics

Summary

This bill requires federal agencies to track employee computer network activity including daily logins, connection duration, and network traffic. Agencies must compare teleworking and on-site employee activity data and publish this information in budget justifications. When managers revoke telework authorization, they must document the circumstances including telework history, reasons for revocation, and disciplinary steps taken. Agencies must report to the Chief Human Capital Officers Council on any adverse effects of telework on agency performance.

Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill requires federal agencies to track employee computer network activity including daily logins, connection duration, and network traffic. Agencies must compare teleworking and on-site employee activity data and publish this information in budget justifications. When managers revoke telework authorization, they must document the circumstances including telework history, reasons for revocation, and disciplinary steps taken. Agencies must report to the Chief Human Capital Officers Council on any adverse effects of telework on agency performance.

Last updated: 1/4/2026

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Requiring Effective Management and Oversight of Teleworking Employees Act or the REMOTE ActThis bill directs executive agencies to track employees' computer network activity, compare the activity of teleworking and on-site employees, and report on any deficiencies in the performance of teleworking employees.First, the bill requires each agency to establish policies to track for every employee (1) the average number of daily logins, (2) the average daily duration of the network connection, and (3) the network traffic generated while the employee works. This information must be collected from employees working primarily on-site within 180 days after the bill's enactment and from teleworking employees within one year after the bill's enactment. The bill also directs each agency to publish this data in the agency’s fiscal year budget justification materials, including a comparison of the average login rates of on-site and teleworking employees.Next, the bill directs any manager who revokes a teleworking employee's authorization to telework (due to a reason specific to that employee) to document for the employee and the agency's Human Capital Office (1) the total number of days that the employee teleworked in the six work periods immediately preceding the revocation, (2) a narrative summary of the circumstances giving rise to the revocation, and (3) any steps the manager took to discipline the employee before revoking the employee's telework authorization. Finally, agencies must report to the Chief Human Capital Officers Council about any adverse effects of telework policies on the performance of the executive agency.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Requires tracking of federal employee computer network activity
Compares telework and on-site employee login data
Mandates publication of telework metrics in budget documents
Requires documentation when telework privileges revoked
Reports on telework effects on agency performance

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

For federal employees: Increased monitoring of work activity and network usage. For managers: Documentation requirements for telework decisions. For teleworkers: Data comparison with on-site employee activity. For agencies: New tracking and reporting obligations. For oversight: Transparency on telework performance impacts.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Government Operations and Politics

Related Subjects

Commuting

Computers and information technology

Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management

Government information and archives

Public contracts and procurement

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

21, 119th Congress (2025). "REMOTE Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-s-21