Skip to main content
S 3561 116th Congress Senate Government Operations and Politics Cardiovascular and respiratory health Commuting Computers and information technology Emergency medical services and trauma care Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management Infectious and parasitic diseases

Emergency Telework Act of 2020

Introduced: March 22, 2020 Introduced by: Van Hollen, Chris Democratic · Maryland See on congress.gov
This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 22, 2020
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Mar 22, 2020
Introduced in Senate
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Emergency Telework Act of 2020

This bill requires each federal agency (executive, legislative, and judicial) to allow eligible employees to telework full-time during the public health emergency declared on January 31, 2020, relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). An employee is considered eligible if the employee has not received specified disciplinary action and is otherwise determined eligible by the agency.

In the event the public health emergency is renewed, the bill's requirements continue to apply if the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in coordination with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), determines the requirements would reduce the spread of COVID-19. If the requirements no longer apply, agencies may still allow high-risk employees or employees at certain work sites to telework full-time during the renewal period.

Additionally, OPM must, in coordination with HHS, develop an expansive telework policy for use in future outbreaks of infectious diseases.

What's happening now March 22, 2020

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 3561: Emergency Telework Act of 2020. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-3561/
MLA
"S. 3561: Emergency Telework Act of 2020." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-3561/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 3561, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-3561/.
Markdown link
[S. 3561: Emergency Telework Act of 2020](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-3561/)
Report a problem