# 119-hr-8138: DPA Specialized Staffing Act

119-hr-8138, DPA Specialized Staffing Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ); status introduced (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8138
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8138
- Congress: 119
- Title: DPA Specialized Staffing Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-03-27
- Sponsor: Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Creates a special hiring authority for agencies on the Defense Production Act Committee.** This bill would let those agencies directly appoint subject matter experts into competitive service positions without following the hiring restrictions in 5 U.S.C. 3309–3318. Appointments would be limited to tasks that identify, solicit, evaluate, or approve activities that may receive financial assistance under the Act. The text does not specify term limits, funding, or a sunset for the authority.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Faster hiring for Defense Production Act staff: benefit, low. This bill would let each agency on the Defense Production Act Committee hire subject matter experts directly into competitive service jobs without the usual hiring rules. Those experts would only be used to find, evaluate, or approve projects that might get financial assistance under this bill. The…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3077: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-8516: American Leadership in AI Act
- 119-hr-3633: Digital Asset Market Clarity Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8138 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8138)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-3077: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3077)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-8516: American Leadership in AI Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8516)
- [119-hr-3633: Digital Asset Market Clarity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3633)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8138 (as of 2026-09-21).