This bill, called the READINESS Act, helps federal government employees keep their jobs when their military or Foreign Service spouse gets transferred to a new location. When a covered employee requests help within 30 days of their spouse's transfer, their federal agency must choose one of four options: allow them to work remotely full-time, transfer them to an equal-level position near their spouse's new duty station, transfer them to a remote position at the same grade, or place them on unpaid leave for up to 36 months while their spouse is stationed there. The bill allows agencies to fill positions vacated by employees on unpaid leave with permanent staff. Federal agencies must report annually to the Office of Personnel Management for the first five years about these requests and what actions they took, and the Office of Personnel Management must then report this information to Congress, giving lawmakers visibility into how well the program is working to retain military and Foreign Service families in the federal workforce.
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