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H.R. 236: Federal Employee Return to Work Act

119th Congress · introduced 2025-01-07 · Government Operations and Politics · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

federal

What does this mean?

Official title

Federal Employee Return to Work Act

Plain summary

Federal Employee Return to Work Act This bill prohibits providing certain annual or locality-based pay increases to teleworking federal employees. Currently, federal law mandates annual adjustments to General Schedule (GS) pay rates according to (1) a formula based on the annual percentage change in the Employment Cost Index (a measure of labor costs in the private sector); and (2) the difference between public and private sector pay rates in an employee's locality, if that difference exceeds 5%. For example, in 2025, the default annual rate of pay for a GS-7 (step 1) employee is $49,960; the adjusted annual rate of pay for a GS-7 (step 1) employee in the locality pay area that includes Washington, DC, is $57,164. The bill makes executive agency employees who telework at least one day each week (or, in the case of an alternative work schedule, 20% or more each week) ineligible for these payments. The bill is effective on the first day of the fiscal year beginning after the bill's enactment.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Federal Employee Return to Work Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Newhouse, Dan [R-WA-4] · 21 cosponsors

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Words on this page, explained (1)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong119-hr236 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong119 · updated 2026-11-03 by psicol fed-bills