Earn Your Keep Act

HR 7080, the "Earn Your Keep Act," requires all federal executive agencies to return to their pre-pandemic telework policies as of December 31, 2019, within 30 days of the bill's enactment. This directly affects federal employees who previously worked remotely during the pandemic, mandating they comply with in-office requirements or face removal from federal service and elimination of their position. Key mechanisms include reinstating 2019 telework rules, overriding conflicting agency policies, and requiring the GAO to study pandemic-era telework patterns, including locality pay rates and employee work locations. The bill applies exclusively to Executive agencies (e.g., departments like Defense or Health and Human Services) and does not affect state or local government workers.