Chance to Compete Act of 2022

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, Congress is charged with overseeing the general management and operations of government agencies. For the success of each Federal program, we must have a competent and skilled workforce to deliver services to the American people, defend our Nation, and execute the laws passed by Congress. However, agencies currently lack the tools to identify and hire the best candidates to fill the broad types of job positions supporting the Federal Government's various missions and programs.

The problem is that hiring for the Federal civil service has over- relied on the paper credentials and self-administered job proficiency assessments of candidates.

The Chance to Compete Act makes sure agencies use objective, skills- based assessments to evaluate job candidates. The private sector already uses such structured interviews, knowledge tests, and writing samples for the hiring process. It is time for the Federal Government to do so, as well.

Agencies should be able to hire professionals that can do the work, and there are many ways to build the right kind of professional expertise.

H.R. 6967 represents one of those rare, bipartisan legislative reforms that targets a specific problem, implements tested solutions, and reflects private-sector best practices. The bill codifies and improves upon policy initiatives begun in the Trump administration which the Biden administration is continuing to implement.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Maloney and Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Gerry Connolly for working diligently with the bill's cosponsor, Congressman Jody Hice, to strengthen this bipartisan bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Ro Khanna, Virginia Foxx, and Kweisi Mfume for their support. We hope that our Senate colleagues can rapidly advance this important legislation so it can be signed into law this year, and I urge my colleagues to support this smart reform bill.

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Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, this is a commonsense bill aimed at hiring applicants for Federal positions based on whether they have the relevant skills to do the job. The American people deserve nothing less from their Federal Government.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 6967, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6967, the Chance to Compete Act.

This bill is a good first step in reforming how we find and hire talent to the federal civil service and removes barriers that prevent agencies from recruiting the best talent.

The bill specifically eliminates antiquated hiring assessment tools, improves federal agencies' hiring process, and allows qualified applicants to compete for open positions across government. This bill will move government away from a focus on academic parchment to a prioritization on skills and expertise.

I'm proud to be a cosponsor of this bill, introduced by my Ranking Member Jody Hice and my Oversight colleague Ro Khanna.

The bill came to us from the Senate, less than perfect and opposed by the Administration.

But parties across both chambers worked together to draft an updated version of the bill that incorporates important feedback from the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget.

As currently drafted, the bill would:

Redefine competitive-service hiring applicant assessments to help agencies focus on candidates who can perform on the job.

Put subject-matter experts at the helm of hiring, empowering those who can best distinguish practical performers from the field of candidates.

Require OPM to begin a review of all federal ``duties'' that require an educational achievement level for hiring purposes, and then instructs OPM to make available online the data.

Clarify to agencies, Congress, and the public why some positions, like a doctor at the Department of Veterans Affairs, must have an advanced degree, while a cybersecurity expert at the Department of Homeland Security would benefit from a seasoned specialist, trained from the field.

Authorize ``talent teams'' in agency human resources offices-- ensuring each agency has a key group of staff focused on improving federal hiring.

I thank Ranking Member Hice for working with me to improve this bill and ensure it is policy that all stakeholders, including the Administration and our union partners, believe will improve how we find and recruit talent to the federal government.

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