Title: To direct the Secretary of the Interior to reinstate pre-pandemic in-office work policies at the Department of the Interior in order to receive certain supplemental emergency relief funds, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
This bill bars the use of any of the unobligated COVID-19 relief funds made available to the Department of the Interior until Interior reinstates the telework policies, practices, and levels of telework as in effect at Interior on December 31, 2019.
No later than 30 days after the enactment of this bill, Interior shall submit to Congress a plan for opening the offices of Interior for in-office work in a manner consistent with the policies, practices, and levels of telework as in effect on December 31, 2019.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7199 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7199

 To direct the Secretary of the Interior to reinstate pre-pandemic in-
  office work policies at the Department of the Interior in order to 
  receive certain supplemental emergency relief funds, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 24, 2022

 Mr. Burgess introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Secretary of the Interior to reinstate pre-pandemic in-
  office work policies at the Department of the Interior in order to 
  receive certain supplemental emergency relief funds, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. LIMITATION ON DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR FUNDS UNTIL PRE-
              PANDEMIC WORK POLICIES REINSTATED.

    (a) In General.--None of the unobligated COVID-19 relief funds made 
available to the Secretary may be used until on or after the date that 
the Secretary reinstates the telework policies, practices, and levels 
of telework as in effect at the Department of the Interior on December 
31, 2019.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a plan for opening 
the offices of the Department of the Interior for in-office work in a 
manner consistent with the policies, practices, and levels of telework 
as in effect on December 31, 2019.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) COVID-19 relief funds.--The term ``COVID-19 relief 
        funds'' means any funds made available to the Secretary in--
                    (A) the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response 
                Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 116-
                123);
                    (B) the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public 
                Law 117-2); or
                    (C) any COVID-19 supplemental emergency 
                appropriations measure enacted into law on or after the 
                date of enactment of this Act.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (3) Telework.--The term ``telework'' has the meaning given 
        such term in section 6501 of title 5, United States Code, and 
        includes remote work.
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