119-hr2297

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2297 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 2297

 To require the heads of Federal agencies to submit to Congress an 
annual report regarding official time authorized under title 5, United 
 States Code, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 March 24, 2025

Mr. Scott Franklin of Florida introduced the following bill; which was 
 referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To require the heads of Federal agencies to submit to Congress an 
annual report regarding official time authorized under title 5, United 
 States Code, 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. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Taxpayer-Funded Union Time 
Transparency Act''.

SEC. 2. ANNUAL REPORT REGARDING LABOR MATTERS.

    (a) 

=== Definitions. ===
-In this section:

    (1) Agency; collective bargaining agreement; employee; 
 labor organization.--The terms ``agency'', ``collective 
 bargaining agreement'', ``employee'', and ``labor 
 organization'' have the meanings given those terms in 

section 7103 of title 5, United States Code.

    (2) Section 7131.--The term ``

section 7131'' means 

section 7131 of title 5, United States Code.

    (b) Annual Report.--Not later than June 30 of each year that begins 
after the year in which this Act is enacted, the head of each agency 
shall submit to Congress, and post on the public website of the agency, 
a report that details the following for the year covered by the report:

    (1) The total cost to the agency of official time 
 authorized under 

section 7131.

    (2) A detailed explanation of the purpose for which the 
 agency made each authorization of official time under 

section 7131.

    (3) With respect to each employee of the agency for whom 
 official time was authorized under 

section 7131--
        (A) the position and annual rate of basic pay of 
 the employee;
        (B) the value of any bonus awarded to the employee;
            (C) the cost to the agency of providing benefits 
 (including health insurance, retirement contributions, 
 and any other financial benefit other than basic pay 
 and a bonus) to the employee;
            (D) the total number of hours the employee spent on 
 activities for which the official time was authorized; 
 and
        (E) the exact percentage that the number of hours 
 described in subparagraph
            (D) represented with respect 
 to the total number of hours worked by the employee for 
 the applicable year.

    (4) The total amount of compensation paid to employees of 
 the agency to--
        (A) negotiate collective bargaining agreements;
        (B) negotiate agreements between the agency and a 
 labor organization to address matters of employment 
 with respect to which a collective bargaining agreement 
 does not apply;
            (C) process grievances pursuant to procedures 
 established under a collective bargaining agreement; 
 and
            (D) engage in mediation, arbitration, or impasse 
 resolution in connection with collective bargaining 
 disputes.

    (5) The total amount of fees paid by the agency to 
 arbitrators hearing grievances pursuant to procedures described 
 in paragraph

    (4)
            (C) .

    (6) The total amount paid by the agency for travel and 
 lodging expenses incurred by agency staff (including employees 
 for whom official time was authorized under 

section 7131 and 
 representatives of the agency) who were traveling for the 
 purposes of negotiating a collective bargaining agreement.

    (7) The total amount of expenses paid the agency (or with 
 respect to which a labor organization has requested 
 reimbursement from the agency) for retaining experts to assist 
 in the negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement.

    (8) The total amount of expenses paid by the agency (or 
 with respect to which a labor organization has requested 
 reimbursement from the agency) for retaining factfinders, 
 mediators, or arbitrators to settle a dispute arising under a 
 collective bargaining agreement.

    (9) The total number of hours for which the agency 
 permitted labor organizations, or employees of the agency for 
 whom official time was authorized under 

section 7131, to use 
 agency property at no cost or at a discounted rate.

    (10) The amount of real estate made available by the agency 
 to labor organizations, which shall be measured by square 
 footage and in consultation with the Administrator of General 
 Services.

    (11) The total monetary value of the uses described in 
 paragraphs

    (9) and

    (10) , which shall include--
        (A) the cost of maintaining real estate made 
 available to a labor organization; and
        (B) the cost of acquiring each asset made available 
 to a labor organization.

    (12) The amount of each reimbursement collected by the 
 agency with respect to a use described in paragraph

    (9) or

    (10) .

    (13) The total amount of the expenses (including the cost 
 of administrative support and the cost of acquiring technology) 
 incurred by the agency for purposes of activities conducted by 
 a labor organization or a private individual with respect to 
 official time authorized by the agency under 

section 7131.

    (14) An explanation of any increase, as compared to the 
 report submitted in the previous year, in the amount of 
 official time authorized by the agency under 

section 7131.

    (15) The total amount of penalties levied against the 
 agency relating to collective bargaining with a labor 
 organization, including the value of arbitration awards paid 
 to, or monetary settlements with, a labor organization or a 
 member of a labor organization.
            (c) GAO Audits.--The Comptroller General of the United States 
shall, not less frequently than once every 4 years--

    (1) audit the accounting practices that each agency uses to 
 document the items described in subsection

    (b) ; and

    (2) if the Comptroller General finds, in carrying out 
 paragraph

    (1) , that an agency is not using generally accepted 
 accounting principles, at minimum, brief the relevant 
 authorizing committees of Congress regarding that failure by 
 the agency.
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