S. 21 — REMOTE Act

This section directs the head of each Executive department to establish telework utilization data collection and reporting requirements. Specifically, it requires (1) within 180 days of enactment, policies to record login activity and network traffic of teleworking employees (i.e., department employees or contract employees covered by a telework agreement) and directives for managers to periodically review remote teleworkers' network traffic; (2) within one year of enactment, retention of data on each remote teleworking employee's average daily logins, average daily connection duration to the department's computer network, and network traffic generated remotely, with disposal not sooner than three years after collection; (3) beginning 180 days after enactment, for headquarters employees and contract employees, mandatory use of Personal Identity Verification Cards or Common Access Cards for logins, collection of similar data on their in-headquarters network activity, and retention for at least three years; and (4) annual publication of the data in budget justification materials beginning with the first fiscal year after 180 days of enactment, protecting personally identifiable information and including weekday comparisons of remote teleworking employees' average login rates to the total number approved to work remotely.

This section revises annual telework reporting requirements for the Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO) of each executive agency under 5 U.S.C. §6506(d) as follows: (1) requires the CHCO, in consultation with the agency's Telework Managing Officer, to submit a report each year to the Chair and Vice Chair of the Chief Human Capital Officers Council describing agency efforts to promote efficient telework use and any adverse effects of telework policy on agency performance, including increased incidences of employee disciplinary actions; and (2) directs the CHCO to establish a policy within 60 days of enactment requiring managers who revoke an employee's telework privileges for employee-specific reasons to provide written information to the agency's human capital office (retained for a reasonable period after employee separation) and the employee, including the employee's name, title, office, years of service, official worksite, and basic pay rate; total telework days (itemized) in the six preceding work periods; a narrative summary of revocation circumstances sufficient to confirm compliance with agency policy; and any prior disciplinary steps. (Thus, the provision enhances oversight and accountability for telework revocations in executive agencies.)