The House passed a bill sponsored by U.S. Reps. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., Frank Wolf, R-Va. and John Sarbanes, D-Md., that would expand teleworking in the federal government passed.

The bill would ask every federal agency to designate senior-level employees as telework managing officers to implement telework, makes telework a key element of federal agencies’ Continuity of Operations Plans to deal with emergencies, and requires a study on telework’s benefits to make sure the practice is meeting expectations.

“In the absence of state funding to pay for desperately needed transportation improvements in Northern Virginia, this legislation is the best alternative to help the hard-pressed commuters of our region because it has the potential to dramatically reduce the number of cars on our roads,” Connolly said.