[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 109 (Thursday, June 22, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2251-S2252]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     MILITARY SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT ACT

  The bill (S. 349) to amend title 5, United States Code, to authorize 
the appointment of spouses of members of the Armed Forces who are on 
active duty, disabled, or deceased to positions in which the spouses 
will work remotely, which had been reported from the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, with an amendment, as 
follows:
  (The part of the bill intended to be inserted is printed in italics.)

                                 S. 349

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Military Spouse Employment 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. APPOINTMENT OF MILITARY SPOUSES.

       Section 3330d of title 5, United States Code, is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)--
       (A) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4);
       (B) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
       ``(3) The term `remote work' refers to a particular type of 
     telework under which an employee is not expected to report to 
     an officially established agency location on a regular and 
     recurring basis.''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(5) The term `telework' has the meaning given the term in 
     section 6501.'';
       (2) in subsection (b)--
       (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``or'' at the end;
       (B) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the end and 
     inserting ``; or''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(3) a spouse of a member of the Armed Forces on active 
     duty, or a spouse of a disabled or deceased member of the 
     Armed Forces, to a position in which the spouse will engage 
     in remote work.''; and
       (3) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ``subsection (a)(3)'' 
     and inserting ``subsection (a)(4)''.

     SEC. 3. GAO STUDY AND REPORT.

       (a) Definitions.--In this section--
       (1) the terms ``agency'' means an agency described in 
     paragraph (1) or (2) of section 901(b) of title 31, United 
     States Code;
       (2) the term ``employee'' means an employee of an agency;
       (3) the term ``remote work'' means a particular type of 
     telework under which an employee is not expected to report to 
     an officially established agency location on a regular and 
     recurring basis; and
       (4) the term ``telework'' means a work flexibility 
     arrangement under which an employee performs the duties and 
     responsibilities of such employee's position, and other 
     authorized activities, from an approved worksite other than 
     the location from which the employee would otherwise work.
       (b) Requirement.--Not later than 18 months after the date 
     of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 
     United States shall conduct a study and publish a report 
     regarding the use of remote work by agencies, which shall 
     include a discussion of what is known regarding--
       (1) the number of employees who are engaging in remote 
     work;
       (2) the role of remote work in agency recruitment and 
     retention efforts;
       (3) the geographic location of employees who engage in 
     remote work;
       (4) the effect that remote work has had on how often 
     employees are reporting to officially established agency 
     locations to perform the duties and responsibilities of the 
     positions of those employees and other authorized activities; 
     and
       (5) how the use of remote work has affected Federal office 
     space utilization and spending.
  The committee-reported amendment was agreed to.

[[Page S2252]]

  The bill (S. 349), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a 
third reading, was read the third time, and passed as follows:

                                 S. 349

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Military Spouse Employment 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. APPOINTMENT OF MILITARY SPOUSES.

       Section 3330d of title 5, United States Code, is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)--
       (A) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4);
       (B) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
       ``(3) The term `remote work' refers to a particular type of 
     telework under which an employee is not expected to report to 
     an officially established agency location on a regular and 
     recurring basis.''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(5) The term `telework' has the meaning given the term in 
     section 6501.'';
       (2) in subsection (b)--
       (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``or'' at the end;
       (B) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the end and 
     inserting ``; or''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(3) a spouse of a member of the Armed Forces on active 
     duty, or a spouse of a disabled or deceased member of the 
     Armed Forces, to a position in which the spouse will engage 
     in remote work.''; and
       (3) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ``subsection (a)(3)'' 
     and inserting ``subsection (a)(4)''.

     SEC. 3. GAO STUDY AND REPORT.

       (a) Definitions.--In this section--
       (1) the terms ``agency'' means an agency described in 
     paragraph (1) or (2) of section 901(b) of title 31, United 
     States Code;
       (2) the term ``employee'' means an employee of an agency;
       (3) the term ``remote work'' means a particular type of 
     telework under which an employee is not expected to report to 
     an officially established agency location on a regular and 
     recurring basis; and
       (4) the term ``telework'' means a work flexibility 
     arrangement under which an employee performs the duties and 
     responsibilities of such employee's position, and other 
     authorized activities, from an approved worksite other than 
     the location from which the employee would otherwise work.
       (b) Requirement.--Not later than 18 months after the date 
     of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 
     United States shall conduct a study and publish a report 
     regarding the use of remote work by agencies, which shall 
     include a discussion of what is known regarding--
       (1) the number of employees who are engaging in remote 
     work;
       (2) the role of remote work in agency recruitment and 
     retention efforts;
       (3) the geographic location of employees who engage in 
     remote work;
       (4) the effect that remote work has had on how often 
     employees are reporting to officially established agency 
     locations to perform the duties and responsibilities of the 
     positions of those employees and other authorized activities; 
     and
       (5) how the use of remote work has affected Federal office 
     space utilization and spending.

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