Last week, GOP Congressman James Comer from Kentucky introduced a bill, that if passed, could mean the end of working from home for many federal employees.
The Stopping Home Office Work’s Unproductive Problems (SHOW UP) Act would require that within 30 days of passing, every agency returns to pre-pandemic arrangements. That means a lot of federal workers would be coming back. The bill would also require federal agencies to complete and submit to Congress studies outlining how pandemic-era telework impacted their performance.
“I am proud to introduce the SHOW UP Act, which will ensure the federal workforce returns to the office,” Comer said in a statement. “In addition, I am also seeking information from the GSA regarding reports indicating Administrator Carnahan was routinely absent from her Washington office. Biden Administration officials must lead by example and work in person for the American people.”
According to Comer, who is the new Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, the federal government’s expansion of telework during the pandemic has delayed critical assistance to veterans, tax refunds, passport applications, and other basic services.
The bill is already being blasted by the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 700,000 federal and D.C. governmental workers.
The national president, Everett Kelley, wrote in part, “At a time when agencies across government are struggling to hire and retain a new generation of government employees – Congress should be focused on improving pay, benefits, and career development opportunities. Instead, we see message bills like the SHOW UP Act that denigrate the federal workforce and undermine recruitment and retention…”
While the bill could likely pass the House, where Republicans have a slim majority, it would need Democratic buy-in in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Goofy old head. This would not attract this new generation to be a civil servant. Sounds like he is trying to posture the government to be privatized.