The House of Representatives passed H.R. 139, the “Stopping Home Office Work’s Unproductive Problems Act of 2023″, or the “SHOW UP Act of 2023”, on February 1, 2023.

The bill was passed by a roll call vote with 221 ayes and 206 noes. Three Democrats joined all but one Republican to vote for the bill. Introduced on January 9, the bill had 26 cosponsors (all Republican) when it was passed. There is no companion bill in the Senate, nor is the Senate likely to take the bill up if introduced.

Bill Summary

The bill takes aim at telework policies of federal agencies. If passed, the bill would require each executive agency to reinstate the telework policies that were in place on December 31, 2019. The bill would also require each agency to conduct an evaluation of the effects of the expansion of telework during the pandemic and detail its plans, if any, regarding telework for the future.

The results of that evaluation would need to be reported to Congress within six months. Agencies may not implement expanded telework policies unless the Office of Personnel Management certifies that such policies, among other requirements, will have a positive effect on the agency’s mission and operational costs. The Social Security Administration would be required to revert to its pre-pandemic telework policies but the impact on agency operations of the bill is expected to be minimal.