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118-s-59118th CongressWALLET

Chance to Compete Act of 2024

Sponsored By: Senator Sinema, Kyrsten [D-AZ-9]

Became Law

Summary

Technical assessments and demonstrated competencies replace routine degree rules as the main basis for federal competitive-service hiring. The law shifts hiring to job-specific tests, builds OPM and agency talent teams, and requires public reporting and oversight.

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  • Job seekers and workers: Applicants, including those without college degrees, compete by showing job skills through technical assessments, structured interviews, or work exercises instead of meeting minimum degree requirements.
  • Agencies and HR teams: Agencies must submit a transition plan within 18 months and move to technical assessments after a 3-year interim, with a narrow waiver process when assessments are impracticable.
  • OPM, oversight, and data: The Office of Personnel Management can create a Federal talent team and must do a 1-year feasibility study on sharing assessments. OPM must publish annual implementation data and the GAO will review progress after 3 years.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

Agencies can create talent teams for hiring

Agencies can set up talent teams to improve exams, write clearer job posts, share top candidate lists, and speed hiring. OPM can run a federal team to train staff, share hiring tools, support cross-agency hiring, and build assessments. These options are available now.

OPM must publish hiring data and reports

Within 180 days, OPM tells agencies what hiring data to send, and agencies send it every quarter. Within 1 year, OPM posts a public website and report with exam types and anonymous results. It shows demographics compared to October 1, 2020, and only covers closed, audited, completed hires. OPM publishes yearly progress updates for five years and explains any delays. Within 1 year, OPM studies sharing assessments and reviews record systems; within 18 months, it submits a transition plan; GAO reports in 3 years; OPM issues rules to carry out the law.

Federal hiring shifts to skills tests

Agencies must examine applicants with job-specific technical assessments built with subject-matter experts. For three years after enactment, agencies prefer these tests; if not used, job postings must briefly explain why. After three years, agencies must use a technical assessment unless the agency head certifies it is impracticable. A waiver starts one day after submission, lasts three years, and cannot be delegated. Tools can include structured interviews, work samples, and simulations, used to set passing scores or rank applicants.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Sinema, Kyrsten [D-AZ-9]

AZ • D

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Hagerty, Bill [R-TN]

    TN • R

    Sponsored 1/24/2023

  • Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK]

    OK • R

    Sponsored 1/24/2023

  • Sen. Carper, Thomas R. [D-DE]

    DE • D

    Sponsored 1/24/2023

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
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