Lawmakers Renew Push to Streamline Federal Hiring

A bipartisan group of senators reintroduced a measure on Tuesday to improve federal hiring by allowing agencies to share information on job applicants, calling the reform a “common sense solution” to challenges with the federal recruitment process.

Currently, agencies with similar hiring needs cannot share assessments of applicants with each other. The 2015 Competitive Service Act, introduced by Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, would allow agencies to collaborate on competitive service certificates when looking to fill a position in the same occupational series and within a similar grade level.

The lawmakers called their proposal a win-win, as applicants are more likely to get hired and agencies can choose from already vetted individuals. If an applicant, for example, was deemed qualified by one agency but was not hired because the open position only had one vacancy, another agency could leverage that evaluation to fill its own spot.

Tester and Portman backed similar legislation in the last Congress, though the measure fizzled in both the House and Senate despite receiving bipartisan support in both chambers.

“This bill makes it easier for qualified folks who are interested in public service to find jobs,” said Tester. “Hiring a strong workforce while reducing duplication in government provides the kind of common sense solution that taxpayers expect.”

Portman added the bill would help ensure the federal government employs a “world-class” workforce.

“Our bill will streamline the hiring process,” said the former Office of Management and Budget director, “enabling agencies to share applicant pools so that qualified individuals will not have to undergo an already slow hiring process time and time again for similar positions across the federal government.”

Sens. Ben Cardin, D-Md.; Jerry Moran, R-Kan.; and Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., signed on as cosponsors of the legislation. Good government and federal employee groups also threw their support behind the measure.

“This legislation represents a common sense way of treating our government as a single organization trying to achieve shared goals rather than a disconnected collection of many agencies,” said Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service.

Patricia Niehaus, president of the Federal Managers Association, said the proposal would ease the burden on applicants who have already gone through a “rigorous competitive assessment.” 

She added: “At a time when the federal government is struggling to improve recruitment and retention, this tool would streamline the hiring process and remove a barrier for talented men and women.”