[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 13, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E248-E249]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   UTILIZING SPACE EFFICIENTLY AND IMPROVING TECHNOLOGIES ACT OF 2023

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 12, 2024

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong opposition to this 
bill. Certainly, we can agree that federal agencies, like many large 
employers, need to reevaluate their office space requirements in 
response to more hybrid work options post-COVID.
  But this is not a new endeavor for the federal government. This is 
something the federal government was doing for more than a decade 
before the pandemic.

[[Page E249]]

  When we passed the Telework Enhancement Act in 2009, federal telework 
participation was below 14 percent. By 2016, that number grew by more 
than 50 percent to 22 percent. During that intervening period, agencies 
created hoteling options, reevaluated office space needs, and even 
identified telework savings associated with reduced real estate 
requirements.
  So again, this is not new territory for the federal government. What 
is new is the mindless and punitive approach Republicans have started 
to take towards agency decisions about workplace environments.
  During the pandemic, Republicans on the Committee on Oversight and 
Accountability, voted to require 100 percent of federal employees back 
into the office for full-time in-person work--a standard that did not 
exist even before the pandemic and one that envisions a 19th century 
workplace complete with hole-punched timecards.
  Concurrently, they opposed my legislation, the Chai Suthammanont 
Remembrance Act, to implement common sense workplace public health 
standards to protect federal employees during COVID and any future 
public health emergencies.
  Their opposition is, as I said, mindless and punitive.
  With this bill, House Republicans are at it again. This bill would 
establish an arbitrary requirement for agencies to dispose of property 
and leases.
  It makes no accommodations for the workplace flexibility our federal 
agencies need, not just to compete for talent, but also to accommodate 
those with disabilities or military spouses whose employment would not 
be possible without hybrid or remote work.
  This bill demagogues the issue of hybrid work at a time when we 
should be taking meaningful action to help the federal workplace remain 
competitive and productive.
  I welcome the Administration's efforts to end pandemic era remote 
work postures while strengthening robust telework options for federal 
employees, which we helped create with the Telework Enhancement Act.
  There is a way forward that helps agencies adjust to post-pandemic 
workforce needs, but this bill is not the solution and I urge my 
colleagues to oppose it.

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