S. 4138 would permanently authorize the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (PTO) Telework Enhancement Act Pilot Program (TEAPP). Under current law, TEAPP, which expires on December 31, 2020, enables about 3,000 PTO employees to waive reimbursement for travel expenses in exchange for the ability to live and work anywhere in the United States or Puerto Rico without routinely reporting to a specific jobsite.
Using information from the PTO, CBO expects that the agency would continue most aspects of the telework program after December 31, 2020, though some employees could be required to travel to a specific jobsite for training. As a result, CBO expects that implementing the bill would decrease travel reimbursements the PTO would incur after the pilot program expires. Using information from the PTO, CBO estimates those decreased costs would be less than $500,000 over the 2021-2025 period. Because the PTO is authorized to collect fees in an amount sufficient to offset its annual appropriation, CBO expects that the agency would adjust fee collections to match any decrease in operating costs. On that basis, CBO estimates that any change in net discretionary spending by the PTO would be negligible, assuming appropriation action consistent with that authority.
