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<dc:title>119 HR 2297 IH: Taxpayer-Funded Union Time Transparency Act</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. House of Representatives</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2025-03-24</dc:date>
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<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
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<distribution-code display="yes">I</distribution-code><congress display="yes">119th CONGRESS</congress><session display="yes">1st Session</session><legis-num display="yes">H. R. 2297</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES</current-chamber><action display="yes"><action-date date="20250324">March 24, 2025</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="F000472">Mr. Scott Franklin of Florida</sponsor> introduced the following bill; which was referred to the <committee-name committee-id="HGO00">Committee on Oversight and Government Reform</committee-name></action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title display="yes">To require the heads of Federal agencies to submit to Congress an annual report regarding official time authorized under title 5, United States Code, and for other purposes.</official-title></form><legis-body id="HE4FABE49686B4F0D918A0B449C84DB3D" style="OLC"><section id="H10241D5AE78F467BAA76CAE7E412818F" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Taxpayer-Funded Union Time Transparency Act</short-title></quote>.</text></section><section id="HFDD0804E22484943B5DA56B7D7957744"><enum>2.</enum><header>Annual report regarding labor matters</header><subsection id="HF44E9FE4748F4EB293E91D242D3F6FFA"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Definitions</header><text>In this section:</text><paragraph id="H850DA1C4FF9F448F8258606BD4B5225F"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Agency; collective bargaining agreement; employee; labor organization</header><text>The terms <term>agency</term>, <term>collective bargaining agreement</term>, <term>employee</term>, and <term>labor organization</term> have the meanings given those terms in section 7103 of title 5, United States Code.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="H790C7A03BC494DB684C910C68604121C"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Section 7131</header><text>The term <term>section 7131</term> means section 7131 of title 5, United States Code.</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="HA8AC82E28AC54F7591742FFE08FE93B4"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Annual report</header><text>Not later than June 30 of each year that begins after the year in which this Act is enacted, the head of each agency shall submit to Congress, and post on the public website of the agency, a report that details the following for the year covered by the report:</text><paragraph id="H7305F4175BB6487A89B75F87B1AF42AD"><enum>(1)</enum><text>The total cost to the agency of official time authorized under section 7131.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="HAF1F846A411A4F2DB5555CF6C89A37F8"><enum>(2)</enum><text>A detailed explanation of the purpose for which the agency made each authorization of official time under section 7131.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="H5AC2BFC56EF34F429E7846E98D04D278"><enum>(3)</enum><text>With respect to each employee of the agency for whom official time was authorized under section 7131—</text><subparagraph id="H9C42F7910E3842808A454230E339FD45"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the position and annual rate of basic pay of the employee;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="HFDAA4918593E49899932EF54B4D36F57"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the value of any bonus awarded to the employee;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HC3DE578514C046F1AC674FEDC7680AC9"><enum>(C)</enum><text>the cost to the agency of providing benefits (including health insurance, retirement contributions, and any other financial benefit other than basic pay and a bonus) to the employee;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H36D87B310D6343F69636155D01E946F8"><enum>(D)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the total number of hours the employee spent on activities for which the official time was authorized; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H4BBCE7FEA18B470985264D834BE46997"><enum>(E)</enum><text>the exact percentage that the number of hours described in subparagraph (D) represented with respect to the total number of hours worked by the employee for the applicable year.</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="HF9CD0418336B4E9AA46E16B7FD0439DB"><enum>(4)</enum><text>The total amount of compensation paid to employees of the agency to—</text><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H068EE7E6095C4893BF45F96F924892DE"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">negotiate collective bargaining agreements;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H401A5882DACE4D749DABD878EFEF2BC2"><enum>(B)</enum><text>negotiate agreements between the agency and a labor organization to address matters of employment with respect to which a collective bargaining agreement does not apply;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H7657134C62054D27B808E905862C9DB0"><enum>(C)</enum><text>process grievances pursuant to procedures established under a collective bargaining agreement; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H985E29258ADB428BBA226BAA1237CE46"><enum>(D)</enum><text>engage in mediation, arbitration, or impasse resolution in connection with collective bargaining disputes.</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H2D7B7E0A3E374BEE9F282792B1A2EDF0"><enum>(5)</enum><text>The total amount of fees paid by the agency to arbitrators hearing grievances pursuant to procedures described in paragraph (4)(C).</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H06837F9D276D4FE7BE72CD7EA68E238E"><enum>(6)</enum><text>The total amount paid by the agency for travel and lodging expenses incurred by agency staff (including employees for whom official time was authorized under section 7131 and representatives of the agency) who were traveling for the purposes of negotiating a collective bargaining agreement.</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HB9BE3431CC29452295BE3ED19463AF11"><enum>(7)</enum><text>The total amount of expenses paid the agency (or with respect to which a labor organization has requested reimbursement from the agency) for retaining experts to assist in the negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement.</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H3CEA10D9869D4AAE866360DEC155D4C5"><enum>(8)</enum><text>The total amount of expenses paid by the agency (or with respect to which a labor organization has requested reimbursement from the agency) for retaining factfinders, mediators, or arbitrators to settle a dispute arising under a collective bargaining agreement.</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H7C13914E6F854B32856DDD7F64BF6CE4"><enum>(9)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The total number of hours for which the agency permitted labor organizations, or employees of the agency for whom official time was authorized under section 7131, to use agency property at no cost or at a discounted rate.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="HECE44CC129D84B02AF364EA81C3027C5"><enum>(10)</enum><text>The amount of real estate made available by the agency to labor organizations, which shall be measured by square footage and in consultation with the Administrator of General Services.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="HC527777472614F8B86E0B2EF187D4FF5"><enum>(11)</enum><text>The total monetary value of the uses described in paragraphs (9) and (10), which shall include—</text><subparagraph id="HAAFC6E1F98784E6EA8BF078CFBF735EA"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the cost of maintaining real estate made available to a labor organization; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H541F1FA3A52F46BD9616EFC40214D57B"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the cost of acquiring each asset made available to a labor organization.</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="HB5F4480B01354784AE010C1C6EE46739"><enum>(12)</enum><text>The amount of each reimbursement collected by the agency with respect to a use described in paragraph (9) or (10).</text></paragraph><paragraph id="H3D5B084F6B84433CB568FAC868965633"><enum>(13)</enum><text>The total amount of the expenses (including the cost of administrative support and the cost of acquiring technology) incurred by the agency for purposes of activities conducted by a labor organization or a private individual with respect to official time authorized by the agency under section 7131.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="H4332D01664E3496AB24973A207A4A221"><enum>(14)</enum><text>An explanation of any increase, as compared to the report submitted in the previous year, in the amount of official time authorized by the agency under section 7131.</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H11AE4833F8B74D7DA0A8D62012E5D874"><enum>(15)</enum><text>The total amount of penalties levied against the agency relating to collective bargaining with a labor organization, including the value of arbitration awards paid to, or monetary settlements with, a labor organization or a member of a labor organization.</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="H69D1D080CCAC42F2B37E64E0B4E13262"><enum>(c)</enum><header>GAO audits</header><text>The Comptroller General of the United States shall, not less frequently than once every 4 years— </text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HFA0BE1F7998744E591E11B231288E199"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">audit the accounting practices that each agency uses to document the items described in subsection (b); and </text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H6AD662C7E88E434582CEF75DCF213076"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">if the Comptroller General finds, in carrying out paragraph (1), that an agency is not using generally accepted accounting principles, at minimum, brief the relevant authorizing committees of Congress regarding that failure by the agency. </text></paragraph></subsection></section></legis-body></bill> 

