[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 23 (Monday, February 14, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E217-E218]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         NATIONAL TELEWORK WEEK

                                  _____
                                 

                         HON. JOHN P. SARBANES

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 14, 2011

  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of National Telework 
Week.

[[Page E218]]

  Beginning on Monday, February 14, thousands of Americans will perform 
at least one full day of work from their homes or alternate work spaces 
rather than their traditional offices. It is estimated that about one-
third of carbon emissions in the United States are transportation-
related, yet the U.S. embraces workforce management practices that 
encourage long commutes and excessive travel. This pragmatic, 
commonsense workforce management strategy will provide meaningful 
relief to workers in the national capital region and across the 
country.
  Late last year, Congress made the United States Government a leader 
in the movement toward flexible workplaces--significantly expanding 
telework opportunities for most Federal workers. On December 9, 
President Obama signed into law the Sarbanes-Wolf-Connolly Telework 
Enhancement Act of 2010. The product of over three years of bipartisan, 
bicameral cooperation, the new law requires all Federal agencies to 
establish a uniform telework policy, ensuring that most employees who 
wish to telework are able to do so. The Telework Enhancement Act 
requires Federal agencies to develop training programs for teleworkers 
and managers, to include telework in continuity of operations plans, 
and to designate a Telework Managing Officer to lead the telework 
program at each agency.
  This new law will not only increase efficiency in the Federal 
Government, it will strengthen our national security. By including 
telework in continuity of operations plans, we can ensure vital 
services continue in the event of an emergency. The best evidence of 
this was last year, when a snowstorm shut down the Government for 
nearly a week. During that period, Federal employees with the ability 
to telework were able to continue to operate. According to John Berry, 
the Director of Office of Personnel Management, the Federal Government 
saved approximately $30 million per day that would have been otherwise 
lost.
  Telework provides numerous benefits to strengthen our economy and 
enhance employee work-life balance. The U.S. Patent and Trademark 
Office features a robust telework program and has seen substantial 
increases in employee productivity and morale since its inception. By 
implementing an agency-wide telework program, the Patent and Trademark 
Office has avoided securing $11 million in additional office space and 
has developed a more competitive recruitment process. Telework now 
enables the agency to draw from a talent pool of qualified candidates 
living anywhere in the country.
  In 2009, then-Governor Tim Kaine instituted Telework Day in the 
Commonwealth of Virginia. For one day, more than 4,000 pledged to 
telework. Pledges collectively removed more than 82 tons of pollutants 
from harming our environment, saved more than $124,000, and avoided 
driving 140,000 miles--all in just one day. As of February 11, 2011, 
more than 34,800 people have already pledged to telework at least one 
day across the Nation. These pledges will collectively save more than 
$2.3 million in commuting costs and remove more than 1,595 tons of 
pollutants from the environment.
  In his State of the Union address, the President challenged us to 
reinvigorate America's competitiveness. He set the goal of ``connecting 
every part of America to the digital age.'' Telework allows us to 
leverage today's technological advances, developed by America's 
pioneering companies, to enhance our Nation's efficiency, improve the 
environment, ensure our safety, and elevate our quality of life. As we 
struggle through another winter marked by agency closures, 
unprecedented traffic jams and millions of dollars in lost 
productivity, National Telework Week should serve as a clarion call to 
the administration to expeditiously implement the new Telework law and 
as a demonstration of the incredible benefits of a robust Federal 
telework policy.

                          ____________________