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119-hr-3853119th CongressWALLET

Federal Government Reform Act of 2025

Sponsored By: Representative Steube, W. Gregory [R-FL-17]

Introduced

Summary

Modernize federal operations and rulemaking. This bill would push the government to speed up rule publication, tighten probation for many new federal hires, and build a secure, digital payments backbone for the Treasury.

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  • Federal workers and job applicants would face a stronger probationary regime. Many career and career-conditional hires would serve a 12-month probationary period, reinstatements can restart that year, and first-time supervisors would also undergo probation under Office of Personnel Management guidelines.
  • Agencies and the public would see faster, clearer rulemaking. Agencies would have to review regulations that impose criminal penalties and recommend repeal or change within 1 year, and the Federal Register would be required to digitize processes with benchmarks to publish rules within statutory deadlines or within 24 hours of receipt.
  • People, businesses, and agencies would get faster payments. The Treasury would be required to adopt modern technologies and partnerships to reduce paper transactions and replace pre-2000 systems with a secure digital payment infrastructure.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

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

Faster, safer federal payments and refunds

If enacted, the Treasury Secretary would build secure digital systems to speed payments to and from the government. This would cut paper checks and old IT from before 2000. It could make tax refunds, benefits, and other payments faster and safer for many households.

Faster publishing of federal rules online

If enacted, the Archivist would digitize and automate Federal Register work to cut delays. Within 90 days, the Archivist would set benchmarks so proposed and final rules publish by law or within 24 hours of receipt. A first compliance report to Congress would be due within one year, then yearly. The budget office would report within 180 days, and agencies would send quarterly updates.

No new criminal penalties by regulation

If enacted, agencies could not issue rules that create criminal penalties unless Congress has clearly put the same penalty in law. Within one year, each agency would report any rules with unclear criminal authority and recommend repeal or fixes.

One-year probation rules for federal hires

If enacted, most new competitive-service federal hires would serve a one-year probation, and many reinstated workers would start a new 12-month probation. The rule would also cover special-authority hires and some Postal employees moving into the competitive service, unless that authority exempts them. Agencies would have to certify, in the final 30 days, that keeping the employee is in the public interest; if not certified, the employee would be separated. If promoted, transferred, demoted, or reassigned before finishing, the employee would complete the rest in the new job. First-time supervisors would also serve a probation set by the federal personnel office; the initial required probation would take precedence.

Federal Executive Institute would close

If enacted, the personnel office would permanently close the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville within 90 days. After the closure date, no federal funds could be spent on any Institute activity. Staff and agencies that use the Institute's training could lose jobs or services.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Steube, W. Gregory [R-FL-17]

FL • R

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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