Bill > S134

This bill, called the "Saving the Civil Service Act," aims to place significant restrictions on how federal agencies can move positions between the competitive service (jobs typically filled through a merit-based selection process) and the excepted service (jobs with more flexible hiring rules). The bill establishes that positions in the competitive service can only be moved to the excepted service if they are placed in specific schedules (A through E) and follow existing regulations as of September 30, 2020. It limits agencies' ability to transfer positions, requiring: (1) prior consent from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for transfers to certain schedules, (2) a cap on transfers during a presidential term (no more than 1% of an agency's workforce or 5 employees, whichever is greater), and (3) written consent from individual employees before they can be transferred between services. The bill also mandates that the OPM Director submit an annual report to Congress detailing any such transfers and potential violations, and requires the Director to issue implementing regulations within 90 days of the Act's enactment. The overall goal appears to be maintaining the integrity of the competitive hiring process and preventing potential misuse of excepted service classifications.

Military Affairs and Security

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/134/all-info