S. 27 — Federal Employee Return to Work Act

This section defines three terms for purposes of the Act: (1) covered employee as an employee who teleworks at least one day a week (or at least 20% of the week under an alternative work schedule), excluding those who telework at least one day a week and (a) are disabled and receive reasonable accommodations, (b) are members of the Foreign Service, (c) are federal law enforcement officers, (d) are members of the Armed Forces on active duty, or (e) have an official worksite other than one described in 5 C.F.R. §531.605(a)(1) (or similar regulation); (2) employee as having the meaning given in 5 U.S.C. §2105; and (3) telework as having the meaning given in 5 U.S.C. §6501.

This section requires covered employees to be paid at the Rest of U.S. locality pay rate for their applicable grade and step as of the date they become covered employees, prohibiting any adjustments under the federal locality pay statute (5 U.S.C. §5304). (Thus, their pay is frozen at that rate and does not receive annual locality pay increases to address private-sector pay disparities.)