Congressional committees worked together this week to approve a bill that would make it possible for more federal employees to become telecommuters. The Senate committee acted a week after supporters of a work from home initiative introduced similar legislation in the House. The bills would encourage federal agencies to allow eligible employees to telecommute four days a month, on average. The chief sponsors in the Senate, Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.), said that expanded telecommuting in the government would get cars off the road, reducing energy costs and cutting pollution. About 6.6 percent of federal employees are regular telecommuters, according to data collected in 2005. Under the bill, the determination of who may telecommute would be left to agencies, which would have to tell employees whether they were eligible to work at home or at a remote site.

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