# 119-s-359: Federal Employee Performance and Accountability Act of 2025

119-s-359, Federal Employee Performance and Accountability Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2025-12-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-359
- As of: 2025-12-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-359
- Congress: 119
- Title: Federal Employee Performance and Accountability Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-02-03
- Sponsor: Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2025-12-21

## Summary

**Performance-based pay pilot** that would test a tiered pay system for selected Executive-branch employees over five years. It would tie pay to agency-specific performance metrics and create rewards and penalties based on meeting those targets. - Eligible employees would be those at GS-11 through GS-15 and senior-level positions. Participation would be voluntary and the pilot uses three tiers: Tier 1 can earn incentives, Tier 2 sees no basic pay change, and Tier 3 faces a 15 percent basic pay cut plus required training. - The Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) would direct the pilot while agencies set metrics and run evaluations. Each participating agency must enroll between 1 percent and 10 percent of eligible staff, provide training and quarterly feedback, and agency heads may exclude their agency for national security reasons with written justification. - Agencies would send annual productivity reports with quantitative and qualitative outcomes to the OMB Director who must review and report to Congress annually. The Comptroller General and the Director would assess the program within one year after it ends, and no new funds are authorized so the pilot must use existing budgets.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC] (R-NC), 2025-02-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE] (R-NE), 2025-02-03T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New pay tiers for federal employees: mixed, high. If enacted, participating employees would be placed in one of three tiers and could see their basic pay changed starting in year two. Tier 1 (significantly exceeded metrics) would get a 15% increase in basic pay and may receive discretionary bonuses or non-money benefits. Tier 2 (met metrics) would…
- Five-year federal pay pilot for employees: mixed, medium. If enacted, this bill would create a five-year pilot starting 180 days after enactment to test performance-based pay for Executive agency employees. You would be eligible only if you are in GS-11 through GS-15 or a senior-level job above GS-15 and your duties have clear, measurable goals. Each agen…
- Oversight and funding rules for pilot: mixed, low. If enacted, participating agencies would send OMB yearly reports on productivity, cost savings, and employee satisfaction and OMB would publish annual assessments to Congress. Within one year after the pilot ends, the Government Accountability Office and OMB would assess overall program results for…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025
- 119-s-275: Veterans’ Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers (ACCESS) Act of 2025
- 119-s-124: Restore VA Accountability Act of 2025
- 119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-359 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/359)

## Related
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-292)
- [119-s-275: Veterans’ Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers (ACCESS)…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-275)
- [119-s-124: Restore VA Accountability Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-124)
- [119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5025)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-359 (as of 2025-12-21).