House Approves Federal Telework Bill, Denies Bill to Defund Public Radio
The House cleared a bill Thursday that will expand access to telework among the federal workforce and ensure accountability. HR-1722, introduced by Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md., first passed the House in July and passed with amendments from the Senate in September. If fully integrated, the bill “can save taxpayers money by increasing efficiency, reducing federal office space and improving employee retention,” Sarbanes said. The legislation includes requiring the Office of Personnel Management to issue telework guidelines and compile government-wide data on telework. It also requires agencies “to develop a telework policy for their employees,” he said.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
In the same proceeding, the House rejected a bill that prohibits federal funding of public radio programming as a way to reduce the deficit. Introduced Wednesday by Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., HR-6417 was defeated 239-171 Thursday, his spokeswoman said. The largely Republican effort to pass the bill stemmed from You Cut, a GOP project that allows citizens to vote on spending cuts they'd like the House to enact. The effort to defund NPR gained the most You Cut votes this week.
Good judgment prevailed “as Congress rejected a move to assert government control over the content of news,” NPR said. The proposal is an “unwarranted attempt to interject federal authority into local station program decision-making.” The Association of Public Television Stations applauded the House for rejecting the attempt by Lamborn. The association “stands in solidarity with public radio stations across the country who provide an invaluable service to their local communities,” Interim President Lonna Thompson said.
While the measure failed, the attack on NPR is “no joke,” Free Press President Josh Silver said. “When we have political leaders who retaliate against journalists and want to destroy educational public media, we have a real problem,” said Becky Bond, political director of CREDO Action, the activist arm of wireless provider Credo Mobile.