Wolf Testimony At PTO Telework Hearing

Washington, D.C.  – Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee that funds the Department of Commerce and one of the leading advocates in Congress for telework, gave the following testimony today at a joint hearing on the Patent and Trademark Office’s telework program:     

“Good afternoon.  Thank you for allowing me to testify today. 

“I am pleased to say I am a huge advocate of telework.  Time and again I have said there is nothing magical about strapping yourself into a metal box and driving to an office.   If you have a job that is conducive to teleworking, then you should be given that opportunity.  Many members of my staff regularly telework.  Studies show telework increases worker productivity, reduces traffic and helps the environment.  It’s also a quality of life issue.  Less time sitting in traffic – particularly in this region – means more time doing what you want to do, from coaching Little League to volunteering at your church to just spending more time with your family.

“The series of articles in The Washington Post over the last several months detailing problems with the Patent and Trademark Office’s telework program are alarming.  Secretary Pritzker is well aware of my displeasure.  She and I have talked on the phone about the issue and I also have been in written communication with her. 

“I want to enter my August 11, 2014 letter to her into the hearing record.  It clearly states my unhappiness with PTO and ends with this sentence:  ‘I encourage you to take immediate action to hold these fraudulent employees accountable and send a clear message that this abuse will no longer be tolerated.’

“I also want to submit to the hearing record my September 15, 2014 letter to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia urging him to open a criminal investigation into possible fraudulent activities at PTO with regard to time and attendance. 

“To say I am extremely disappointed that PTO failed to manage its telework program and, in general, to provide adequate managerial oversight throughout the organization would be an understatement.  Compounding this are attempts, I believe, to minimize the problems.

“While I am confident the vast majority of people working at PTO are honest, hardworking federal employees, there are some, unfortunately, who are abusing the telework program.  They need to be fired.  In all honesty, they should already have been dismissed.  

“I firmly believe if PTO and the Commerce Department fails to terminate employees who abused the system, other telework programs across the federal government could very well be in jeopardy.  It is imperative that PTO identify any misconduct and management lapses, and work to put in place systems to ensure that this does not happen in the future. 

“I understand that some mid-level managers at PTO feel like their hands are tied, but there are certain things that can be done to ensure that staff are actually working their 80 hours a pay period.  I also understand that PTO has the capability to know if their employees are in the building or are working on their computers, but that these tools are not used. 

“I also would like to point out that these abuses weren’t just perpetrated by telework employees, but that other employees who report every day to the PTO headquarters building in Alexandria have also been gaming time and attendance through the system. 

“I understand PTO has brought in the National Academy of Public Administration to review its telework program.  This is a positive first step but it needs to be required to report back to these two committees.

“NAPA, as you know, was chartered by Congress to assist federal, state, and local governments in improving their effectiveness, efficiency and accountability.  I have enlisted NAPA on multiple occasions during my tenure as chairman of the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations subcommittee.  NAPA played a huge role in the transformation of the FBI following the 9/11 attacks.  I asked NAPA to work with the Department of Commerce to study the effects of offshoring on the U.S. workforce.  In 2013, NAPA worked with NASA to review its security practices. 

“NAPA does good work.  It is independent and non-partisan.  It would bring a fresh set of eyes to the problem and provide a thorough review of PTO’s telework program and make recommendations to return it to the model program it once was. 

 “Again, I appreciate the opportunity to testify today.  This is an important issue and Congress has a clear role in providing oversight.  Moreover, I think telework has an important role to play in improving morale, improving productivity, cutting rent and other overhead costs and alleviating traffic congestion.  But only if those who participate in these programs follow appropriate – and effective – management guidelines.”