HR5749-119

What This Bill Does

This bill creates a detailed annual reporting system for federal employee official time, which is paid duty time used by employees serving as labor representatives for non-agency business or employee-representation work. By March 31 each year, the OPM Director, in consultation with OMB, must submit a public report to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee covering the most recently completed fiscal year.

Agency heads must submit required information to OPM by December 31 each year. If an agency's average aggregate official-time rate increased from the prior fiscal year, the agency head must explain the increase. OPM reports must include total official time, average time per bargaining-unit employee, number of bargaining-unit employees, agency official-time rates, dues withheld through payroll systems, types and purposes of official-time activities, operational effects, employees granted official time, full-time official-time users, federal compensation and fringe-benefit costs, travel or per diem costs, and agency rooms or spaces used for official-time activity including fair market value of free or discounted use. OPM must report data in aggregate and by agency, compare to prior-year data after the first report, and issue guidance within 180 days.

Who Benefits and How

Congressional oversight committees benefit from annual, agency-level data on official time, dues withholding, costs, activities, and space use. Government transparency advocates benefit because OPM must publish the report publicly. Agency labor-relations managers benefit from standardized reporting formats and clearer definitions. Federal taxpayers benefit from visibility into compensation, fringe benefits, travel, per diem, and space costs tied to official time. OPM analysts benefit from explicit authority to collect agency data and publish comparisons.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Agency heads must collect and submit official-time information by December 31 each year. OPM workforce policy staff must issue guidance, collect agency submissions, analyze year-over-year comparisons, and publish reports by March 31. OMB staff must consult on the annual report. Federal employee unions may face more public scrutiny of official-time use, dues withholding, and office-space arrangements. Agency payroll and labor-relations staff must track bargaining-unit employees, official-time rates, payroll deductions, costs, and explanations for increases.

Key Provisions

• Requires OPM to submit and publish an annual official-time report by March 31.
• Requires agency heads to submit official-time data to OPM by December 31.
• Requires agency explanations when average aggregate official-time rates increase.
• Requires reporting on hours, bargaining units, dues withholding, costs, activities, full-time official-time users, operational effects, and space use.
• Requires OPM to provide aggregate, agency-level, and year-over-year comparison data.
• Requires OPM guidance to agencies within 180 days of enactment.