No Union Time on the Taxpayer’s Dime Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 2676
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Government Operations and Politics
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-04-08: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H1467-1468)
- Last Updated
- 2025-12-05T21:55:36Z
AI-Generated Summary
Summary of H.R. 2676: No Union Time on the Taxpayer's Dime Act
Purpose
This bill aims to prevent federal employees from using paid work time—known as "official time"—to conduct activities related to labor unions. It seeks to ensure that such union-related work is done only during employees' personal, unpaid time, thereby avoiding the use of taxpayer funds for union business.
Key Provisions
- Amendment to Law: The bill revises Section 7131 of Title 5, United States Code (which governs federal employee labor-management relations), to state that any employee activities related to a labor organization's business must occur during "non-duty status" (i.e., when the employee is off the clock and not being paid by the government).
- Short Title: The legislation is titled the "No Union Time on the Taxpayer's Dime Act."
- Clerical Update: It updates the table of contents in the relevant section of the U.S. Code to reflect the new title and content of Section 7131.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Under current law (Section 7131), federal employees in bargaining units can use official time—paid hours during their workday—for specific union activities, such as representing employees in grievances or negotiating contracts, subject to certain limits.
- This bill completely eliminates official time for union activities, replacing the existing provisions with a single requirement that all such work be done on the employee's own unpaid time. This marks a full prohibition rather than regulated allowance.
Potential Impacts
- On Government Agencies: Agencies may see reduced administrative costs since they no longer pay employees for union work during duty hours, but they could face challenges in managing employee absences or morale if union activities spill into personal time.
- On Citizens: Taxpayers could benefit from lower federal spending, as official time has historically cost millions annually in employee salaries and benefits.
- On International Relations: No direct impact, as the bill focuses solely on domestic federal employment practices.
- Overall, it could streamline government operations but potentially weaken union effectiveness by limiting employees' ability to participate without forgoing pay.
Main Stakeholders
- Federal Employees: Particularly those who are union members or representatives, as they will lose paid time for union duties and may need to use personal leave or off-hours.
- Labor Unions: Organizations representing federal workers (e.g., the American Federation of Government Employees) could experience reduced capacity for activities like contract negotiations or grievance handling.
- Federal Agencies and Managers: Entities like the Department of Defense or Veterans Affairs, which employ many unionized workers, will need to adjust workflows without official time support.
- Taxpayers and Congress: Indirectly affected through potential savings in government budgets and oversight of federal spending.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: The change directly alters federal labor law under the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute, potentially leading to lawsuits from unions claiming it impairs collective bargaining rights. However, it does not ban union membership or activities outright, only the use of paid government time.
- Constitutional: It raises questions about employees' First Amendment rights to association and speech in a workplace context, but courts have generally upheld limits on using public funds for private organizational activities, viewing official time as a privilege rather than a right.
- Political: The bill reflects efforts to curb perceived overuse of official time (estimated at over 1 million hours annually in recent reports), aligning with fiscal conservatism and criticism of union influence in government. If enacted, it could spark partisan debate, with supporters emphasizing taxpayer protection and opponents arguing it undermines worker protections.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (5)
Rep. Perry, Scott [R-PA-10], Rep. Ogles, Andrew [R-TN-5], Rep. Guest, Michael [R-MS-3], Rep. Rose, John W. [R-TN-6], Rep. Self, Keith [R-TX-3]
Recent Actions
- 2025-04-08: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H1467-1468)
- 2025-04-07: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
- 2025-04-07: Introduced in House
- 2025-04-07: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- No Union Time on the Taxpayer’s Dime Act — issued 2025-04-07 — PDF (2 pages)