By KELLY HANNON

A bill passed by the House of Representatives Thursday gives federal workers with security clearances their own telework centers in the Washington area.

The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2010 funds, at minimum, two secure telework centers on a pilot basis.

Currently, employees working on classified material can work only in secure areas. That eliminates the option of teleworking, whether it's from a home office or a standard telework center.

The Fredericksburg area has three standard telework centers for all workers, public or private. They are located in Spotsylvania, Stafford and Woodbridge.

Rep. Rob Wittman, Virginia's 1st District congressman, has visited several of the telework centers in the Fredericksburg area, and has expressed a desire to provide a similar facility for workers with security clearances. Wittman voted for the bill, H.R. 2647, which passed in a 389-22 vote.

Wittman said he's "passionate" about prompting federal agencies to comply with a law that allows eligible federal workers to telecommute for 20 percent of their work hours every two weeks.

Opening secure facilities will extend that opportunity to workers in all agencies, Wittman said.

Sites in Prince William and the Fredericksburg area should be considered for secure telework centers, Wittman said.

"We're not leaving any stone unturned," he said.

In an emergency, the federal government needs to sustain operations if something occurs in Washington, Wittman said.

Teleworking also removes cars from the highway, and will attract employers to the Fredericksburg area when they see the level of intelligence work that can be done here, Wittman said.

Kelly Hannon: 540/374-5436
Email: khannon@freelancestar.com