SHOW UP Act of 2025
- Bill Number
- S. 354
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Government Operations and Politics
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-02-03: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Last Updated
- 2025-06-20T18:47:56Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose of the Legislation
The SHOW UP Act of 2025 aims to address the effects of widespread telework (working from home or remotely) in federal agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic by requiring agencies to revert to pre-pandemic telework policies temporarily and to evaluate and justify any future expansions. It seeks to ensure that telework supports agency missions, reduces costs, and maintains productivity without unnecessary expenses.
Key Provisions
- Reinstatement of Pre-Pandemic Policies (Section 3): Within 30 days of enactment, each executive agency must restore its telework policies, practices, and participation levels as they existed on December 31, 2019. Agencies are prohibited from expanding these until they submit a required plan and receive certification.
- Study, Plan, and Certification Requirements (Section 4): Within 180 days of enactment, each agency head, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), must submit to Congress:
- A study analyzing the impacts of pandemic-era telework expansion, including:
- Negative effects on agency mission performance and customer service.
- Costs from underused office space or incorrect locality pay (extra pay based on an employee's work location, often higher in urban areas).
- Shortfalls in providing secure tools, data access, and equipment for remote workers.
- How telework spread the workforce geographically across the U.S.
- Other relevant effects.
- An agency plan for any expansion of telework beyond 2019 levels.
- A certification from the OPM Director confirming the plan will:
- Improve agency mission performance, customer service, workforce dispersal, and reverse any pandemic-related harms.
- Significantly cut costs for office space and locality pay (especially for remote workers outside their official work area's pay zone).
- Guarantee secure tools and equipment for remote workers without raising overall agency costs.
- Implementation Limits: Agencies cannot enact an expansion plan without OPM certification. Agencies may resubmit revised plans until certified, then submit the approved version to Congress.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- This bill introduces new mandatory requirements for federal agencies to conduct and report a formal study on telework's pandemic impacts, which were not previously required under existing telework laws (like those in Title 5 of the U.S. Code).
- It imposes a temporary freeze on expanding telework beyond pre-2020 levels and ties future expansions to OPM certification, creating oversight not present in prior policies that allowed more agency flexibility post-pandemic.
- Expands the definition of "telework" to explicitly include "remote work" (long-term work from a non-agency location), clarifying and broadening application compared to earlier statutes.
Potential Impacts
- On Government Agencies: Agencies must quickly reinstate in-office work, potentially increasing operational costs short-term but aiming for long-term savings on space and pay. It could improve mission delivery and customer service by reducing remote work challenges like secure access issues.
- On Citizens: Better agency performance and customer service may result from curbed telework, leading to more efficient public interactions (e.g., faster processing of benefits or services). However, workforce dispersal might slow if expansions are limited.
- On International Relations: Minimal direct impact, though agencies involved in global affairs (e.g., State Department) could see stabilized operations if telework is reduced, potentially aiding consistent diplomatic efforts.
- No notable effects on private sector or state/local governments, as it targets federal executive agencies only.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Executive Agencies: All federal departments and agencies (e.g., those under Title 5, like Defense, Treasury) must comply with reinstatement, studies, and planning, affecting their operations and budgets.
- Office of Personnel Management (OPM): Plays a central role in consulting on studies, reviewing plans, and issuing certifications, increasing its oversight burden.
- Federal Employees: Over 2 million civilian workers may face requirements to return to offices, with potential pay adjustments if remote work is reclassified, impacting work-life balance and relocation options.
- Congress: Receives reports for oversight, enabling legislative review of telework's effectiveness.
- Taxpayers: Indirectly affected through potential cost savings on federal real estate and pay, reducing government spending.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Strengthens accountability under federal personnel laws by mandating evidence-based decisions on telework, potentially reducing litigation over pay misclassifications (e.g., locality pay disputes). It aligns with but expands the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 without altering core employee rights.
- Constitutional: No direct challenges; it respects executive branch authority while enhancing congressional oversight, consistent with separation of powers. Could indirectly support equal protection if it standardizes pay for remote workers.
- Political: Reflects a push for in-office work post-pandemic, possibly driven by concerns over productivity and costs (as seen in the bill's sponsors). It may spark debates on federal workforce flexibility, work-from-home equity, and government efficiency, influencing future labor policies amid partisan divides on remote work.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (6)
Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID], Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA], Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA], Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC], Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE], Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]
Recent Actions
- 2025-02-03: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- 2025-02-03: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Stopping Home Office Work’s Unproductive Problems Act of 2025 — issued 2025-02-03 — PDF (6 pages)