# 119-hr-5235: Skills-Based Federal Contracting Act of 2025

119-hr-5235, Skills-Based Federal Contracting Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Mace, Nancy [R-SC-1] (R-SC); status passed_senate; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-16).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5235
- As of: 2026-10-16
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5235
- Congress: 119
- Title: Skills-Based Federal Contracting Act of 2025
- Status: passed_senate
- Introduced: 2025-09-09
- Sponsor: Rep. Mace, Nancy [R-SC-1] (R-SC)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-16

## Summary

**Shift federal contracting from degree mandates to skills-based hiring.** The bill would bar minimum educational requirements in federal solicitations unless a contracting officer provides a written justification explaining why the agency’s needs cannot be met without that education requirement and how it ensures those needs are met. - Limits when agencies can demand an associate, baccalaureate, graduate, or professional degree by defining “education” to include degrees, specified coursework, or comparable educational attainment from accredited or state‑approved institutions. - Forces contracting officers to justify any education requirement and directs the Office of Management and Budget to issue guidance within 180 days on that justification process and on encouraging alternatives to education requirements. The rule applies to solicitations issued on or after 15 months after enactment and repeals Section 813 of the Floyd D. Spence NDAA once the OMB guidance is effective. - Requires the Government Accountability Office to evaluate executive agency compliance with the new Sec. 3313 not later than 3 years after enactment.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8] (D-IL), 2025-09-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Perez, Marie Gluesenkamp [D-WA-3] (D-WA), 2025-12-16T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Fewer education barriers for federal contract workers: benefit, low. The bill would limit minimum education requirements for workers proposed for federal executive-agency contracts. A contracting officer would need a written explanation in the contract notice showing why the requirement is necessary and meets agency needs. This rule would cover notices issued 15 mon…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-5106: Restore Trust in Congress Act
- 119-hr-5509: Safe Step Act
- 119-hr-3946: FIGHT Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3112: Better CARE for Animals Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1684: PAST Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-5235 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5235)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-5106: Restore Trust in Congress Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5106)
- [119-hr-5509: Safe Step Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5509)
- [119-hr-3946: FIGHT Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3946)
- [119-hr-3112: Better CARE for Animals Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3112)
- [119-hr-1684: PAST Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1684)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5235 (as of 2026-10-16).