Rep. Ted Budd Introduces Federal Skills Act

Press Release

Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) introduced the Federal Skills Act, which would modernize the federal hiring process to prioritize skills instead of simply university degrees.

Rep. Budd said in a statement:

"The federal government should be opening its doors to candidates with the skills required for the job, not simply an expensive college degree. My bill is about providing opportunity for a more diverse cross-section of Americans to join the civil service."

The text of the bill is HERE

Background:

This legislation would modernize civil service hiring processes in the following ways:

1. The Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), in consultation with the heads of all agencies, will need to review and revise all job classification and qualification standards for positions within the competitive service.

2. The Director of OPM and the heads of all agencies will ensure that, for positions within the competitive Federal service, candidates will not be assessed solely on educational attainment when determining if a candidate possesses the relevant knowledge, skills, competencies, and abilities for a position.

3. Job listings will need to be based on the specific skills and competencies required to perform the job.

4. An agency may implement a minimum educational requirement for a Federal competitive service position provided such an education is legally required for the employee to perform the duties of the position.

Source