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Senate Committee Advances Key Legislation on Federal Hiring and Political Activity
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has taken a significant step by unanimously advancing legislation aimed at reforming the federal hiring process. The proposed changes prioritize applicants’ skills and experience over traditional educational credentials.
The legislation, known as the Chance to Compete Act (S. 59), was introduced by Senators Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.). It seeks to formalize recent adjustments made during both the Trump and Biden administrations, which have reduced the emphasis on degree requirements in federal job evaluations. Although the measure successfully passed in the House in 2022, it did not receive Senate action before the previous congressional session’s close.
Among the bill’s provisions is the establishment of skills-based assessments that can be conducted by agency experts, which are now recognized as valid evaluations during the competitive hiring process. Furthermore, the legislation promotes the concept of shared certifications, allowing agencies to exchange the evaluations of qualified candidates. This initiative has garnered positive feedback from federal human resource leaders.
Additionally, the committee endorsed the Allowing Contractors to Choose Employees for Select Skills Act (S. 4631), aiming to extend skills-based hiring practices to the federal contracting workforce. This bill secured a 10-1 vote, with Senator LaPhonza Butler (D-Calif.) casting the sole dissenting vote.
A Tweak to the Hatch Act
In another significant move, the committee voted 10-1 in favor of a bill that expands the scope of the Hatch Act, which regulates the political activities of federal employees. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the only member to oppose this measure.
This legislation (S. 4656), introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.), seeks to include employees from agency offices of inspectors general under the Hatch Act’s additional restrictions on political activity. This would place them alongside personnel from oversight bodies such as the Office of Special Counsel and the Merit Systems Protection Board, as well as national security agencies including the National Security Agency and the FBI.
Employees identified in “further restricted” positions face stringent limitations on their political involvement, including prohibitions on circulating nominating petitions, campaigning, delivering campaign speeches, distributing political materials, or volunteering for partisan campaigns.
Senator Grassley emphasized the importance of maintaining the independence of Office of Inspector General (OIG) employees, stating, “OIGs are the independent watchdogs protecting Americans’ taxpayer dollars and fighting waste, fraud, and abuse in the executive branch. Their efficacy depends on their objectivity. Our commonsense bipartisan bill would seal any gaps that might allow for political influence to creep in and skew OIGs’ invaluable work.”
Senator Peters echoed this sentiment, noting, “Office of Inspector General employees play an essential role in rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government. Their work needs to be independent and free from political bias. This legislation will help strengthen the ethical guidelines that these employees follow, and I look forward to working with Sen. Grassley to get it passed.”
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