PRIA Logo™
119-hr-1242119th CongressWALLET

Hire Veterans Act

Sponsored By: Representative Crane, Elijah [R-AZ-2]

Introduced

Summary

Creates a 5-year pilot to find, test, and refer veterans for noncompetitive hiring into Federal land-management jobs. The program would match veterans' strengths to roles across firefighting, forestry, ecology, engineering, and other technical fields and send qualified candidates to agency hiring portals.

Show full summary
  • Veterans: Veterans could take tailored tests to show job-related strengths and abilities. If they pass, agencies could offer a noncompetitive career-conditional appointment; if not, veterans would be referred to agency training and re-tested until they qualify.
  • Federal land management agencies: The Forest Service, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Reclamation would receive referrals, administer the tests, create training programs, and may waive postsecondary credential rules when justified.
  • Program setup and oversight: The Director of the Office of Personnel Management, working with Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and Interior, would launch the pilot within 1 year, publish application details on OPM's website, oversee hiring methods, and send annual reports to Congress. The pilot would run for 5 years.

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

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

Key terms for veteran hiring pilot

If enacted, the bill would define the key terms used in the hiring pilot. It would name the five land agencies covered and use existing federal definitions for who is a veteran and what a recognized postsecondary credential is. It would also explain what a noncompetitive appointment means for this pilot.

Veteran hiring pilot at land agencies

If enacted, OPM would create a pilot to place veterans in jobs at the Forest Service, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife, BLM, and Reclamation. The pilot must start within 1 year and would end 5 years after it starts. OPM would issue testing guidance within 180 days and post program info online; veterans would apply to OPM. Agencies would test skills for fields like firefighting, ecology, engineering, aviation, and finance, could waive some credential requirements when needed, and would refer applicants to the federal jobs website. Veterans who show the needed abilities could be hired without the usual competitive process; others would get training and can retest.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Crane, Elijah [R-AZ-2]

AZ • R

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Levin, Mike [D-CA-49]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 2/12/2025

  • Rep. Miller, Mary E. [R-IL-15]

    IL • R

    Sponsored 2/27/2025

  • Rep. Gosar, Paul A. [R-AZ-9]

    AZ • R

    Sponsored 2/27/2025

  • Rep. Burchett, Tim [R-TN-2]

    TN • R

    Sponsored 3/3/2025

  • Rep. Steube, W. Gregory [R-FL-17]

    FL • R

    Sponsored 9/1/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
Back to Legislation