House lawmakers have introduced a $3T legislative package that would require telework and hazard pay to federal employees on the frontlines during the coronavirus pandemic, Federal News Network reported Tuesday.
The lower chamber is expected to vote Friday on the proposed Heroes Act, which would require telework arrangement for all eligible federal staff through the end of calendar year 2020 and direct agencies to establish specific goals to raise the number of personnel who telework on a regular and periodic basis.
The bill would ask the Office of Personnel Management and chief human capital officers to come up with guidance on how agencies should gather data and report telework-related cost savings.
The measure would create a COVID-19 Heroes Fund to pay essential frontline workers who have regular contact with people during the pandemic. Pandemic premium pay would be given to those personnel in addition to other premium bonuses and regular salaries.
All essential staff would receive payments capped at $10K, while level 2 positions of the Executive Schedule would get their salaries, pandemic bonuses and premium pay capped at $197,300.
Under the bill, Congress would allocate $10B in additional appropriations to agencies to fund the pandemic premium payments for federal personnel.
