[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1170 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1170

   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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 27, 2025

  Ms. Ernst (for herself and Mrs. Blackburn) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland 
                   Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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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