Many federal employees who currently work remotely could lose some of their pay if a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Washington, passes Congress. 

The Federal Employee Return to Work Act would exclude federal employees who telework from receiving raises and special locality bonuses for their office location being in a high-cost-of-living area despite working from home. Locality pay is an additional percentage of a federal employee’s salary based on where they work. 

The Government Accountability Office has found that 17 of 24 federal agencies are using 25% or less of their physical office capacity as of the beginning of 2023, a release from Newhouse’s office said.  

Six agencies, including the Social Security Administration, Small Business Administration and Department of Housing and Urban Development, were using less than 10% of their office space. 

The bill would not apply to federal employees who have a disability and receive reasonable accommodation nor to members of the Foreign Service, federal law enforcement or active duty military personnel. 

 Full bill text can be found here.