The House failed to pass a bill to expand telework...
The House failed to pass a bill to expand telework opportunities for federal workers. The bill (HR-1722), sponsored by Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md., didn’t pass by voice vote Wednesday, forcing a roll-call vote the next day. On Thursday, The House…
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voted 268-147 in favor, but the bill still didn’t pass because it had been raised under suspension of the rules and therefore required approval by a two-thirds majority. All the no votes came from Republicans, but 24 members of that party voted for the bill. Ten Democrats and six Republicans didn’t vote. “I'm pleased we received bipartisan support for the bill but I hope more of my Republican colleagues who claim to be concerned about federal deficits will take the time to understand this issue,” said Sarbanes. “I look forward to working with House leadership to bring the bill back to the floor so those who opposed it have the opportunity to reconsider.” Voting on suspension is an expedited approach to passing bills. The telework bill can be brought back to the floor for a simple majority vote, said a spokeswoman for Sarbanes. Before this week’s vote, the bill received “a few technical and drafting corrections,” made jointly by majority and minority committee staff, the spokeswoman said. The legislation is similar to a bipartisan bill pending before the full Senate by Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii.