Detailed Summary

Telework Improvements Act of 2008 - (Sec. 2) Requires: (1) the head of each executive agency to establish a policy under which employees may be authorized to telework; (2) such policies to conform to telework regulations prescribed by the Administrator of General Services; and (3) such policies to ensure that all employees are authorized to telework to the maximum extent possible and without diminishing employee performance or agency operations.

Declares that nothing in this Act shall: (1) require agency heads to authorize teleworking in the case of employees whose duties and responsibilities require daily access to classified information, daily face-to-face contact with the public or other persons, or the use of equipment at the employee's regular place of employment or the performance of which from a site removed from the employee's regular place of employment is not feasible; or (2) prevent the temporarily denial of permission for an employee to telework if the employee is needed to respond to an emergency or requires additional training or if the denial is necessary to achieve goals and objectives of agency programs.

Requires agency heads to: (1) provide training to teleworkers; and (2) ensure no distinction is made between teleworkers and nonteleworkers for the purposes of performance appraisals. Requires the General Service Administration (GSA) to: (1) provide teleworking assistance and guidance to agencies; and (2) prescribe regulations to ensure the adequacy of security protections for information and information systems used in, or otherwise affected by, teleworking. Requires GSA to maintain a central, publicly available telework website to be jointly controlled and funded by GSA and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Authorizes each agency to have a Telework Managing Officer to: (1) serve as an advisor, a resource, and the agency's primary point of contact on teleworking matters; (2) ensure that the agency's teleworking policy and programs are communicated effectively to employees; (3) administer a tracking system for compliance with governmentwide telework reporting requirements; (4) provide to the Comptroller General and to the Administrator of General Services information for annual reports; (5) establish a system for receiving feedback from employees on the agency's telework policy; (6) implement a program to remove barriers and to maximize opportunities to telework; and (7) ensure that employees are notified of grievance procedures for telework disputes.

Requires the duties and responsibilities of the Telework Managing Officer to be carried out by the agency's Chief Human Capital Officer or by a career employee in any agency that doesn't appoint such an Officer.

Requires the Comptroller General to: (1) establish a system for evaluating each agency's telework policy and employee participation in each agency's telework programs; and (2) report annually to specified congressional committees on agency telework policies, participation, and practices.

Declares that an agency is not in compliance with this Act unless its authorized employees were permitted to telework for at least 20% of the hours that they worked in every two administrative workweeks (disregarding workweeks for which such employees did not submit a request or for which they were otherwise ineligible to telework.)

Requires agency heads to ensure that: (1) telework is incorporated into the continuity of operations planning; and (2) mission critical personnel are equipped to telework in time of a catastrophe. Provides that agencies' continuity of operations plans supersede their telework policies to the extent that they are inconsistent.

(Sec. 3) Establishes a Chief Human Capital Officers Council consisting of specified personnel from OPM, the Office of Management and Budget, GSA, and others who are designated by the Director of OPM. Directs the Council to advise and coordinate the activities of member agencies on such matters as modernization of human resources systems, improved quality of human resources information, telework, and legislation affecting human resources operations and organizations. Requires the Council to: (1) ensure that representatives of federal employee labor organizations are present at a minimum of one of the Council's meetings each year; and (2) report to Congress on its activities.

(Sec. 4) Requires the GSA to report to specified congressional committees within 12 months after the effective date of the government telework regulations on the incorporation of telework into agencies' continuity of operations planning.

Status of the Legislation

Latest Major Action: 6/19/2008: Referred to Senate subcommittee. Status: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs referred to Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia.

Points in Favor

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Points Against

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