Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) and George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio) applauded President Obama’s enactment of the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 today.

“This new law will reduce traffic and pollution by allowing more federal employees to stay off the road and complete their duties from home via telework,” said Senator Akaka.  “It will save the government money on office space and help recruit and retain top-notch employees that keep our country running strong.  Senator Voinovich and I have worked together for years to give the federal government the tools it needs to keep functioning during emergencies, and to make it an employer of choice.  We have one more accomplishment to add to our list.”

“This bill will expand telework programs for federal employees and ensure the government keeps running during weather events or emergencies.  Advancements in technology mean employees will expect to be able to work at any time from any place, as evidenced by the thousands of federal employees who worked from home during last winter’s snowstorms in Washington, D.C.,” said Senator Voinovich.

 Senators Akaka and Voinovich lead the Senate Federal Workforce subcommittee.  They sponsored the Telework Enhancement Act in the Senate and guided it to Senate passage earlier this year.  Representative John Sarbanes (D-MD) sponsored the bill in the House of Representatives, which passed it on November 18. 

This new law makes federal employees presumptively eligible to telework, giving agencies discretion to make mission-specific exceptions to that presumption.  It will require all agencies to:

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