H.R. 159 explained  ·  118th Congress  ·  Not enacted (118th Congress ended)

Chance to Compete Act of 2023

Create a free account or sign in to follow H.R. 159 and get alerts. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics Create a free account or sign in to follow the Government Operations and Politics policy area and get alerts. ▲ 1364 days since action Sponsor: Virginia Foxx, NC-05, R → Congress.gov

Cosponsors: 5 (3 D, 2 R) · per Congress.gov, 2026-10-11

Introduced: 2023-01-09

Latest action (2023-01-25): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

What H.R. 159 does, in plain terms

Chance to Compete Act of 2023 This bill modifies examination requirements and other components of the federal hiring process for positions in the competitive service. Specifically, the bill provides that a qualifying examination includes a résumé review that is conducted by a subject matter expert. Additionally, beginning two years after the bill's enactment, the bill prohibits examinations from consisting solely of a self-assessment from an automated examination, a résumé review that is not conducted by a subject matter expert, or any other method of assessing an applicant's experience or education; an agency may waive these requirements when necessary but must report any such waivers and may not use waivers to fill more than 10% of agency positions. Agencies may use subject matter experts to develop position-specific technical assessments that allow applicants to demonstrate job-related skills, abilities, and knowledge; assessments may include structured interviews, work-related exercises, procedures to measure career-related qualifications and interests, or other similar assessments. The bill also allows agencies to establish talent teams to support and improve hiring practices. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must create online platforms through which agencies may share and customize technical assessments and share the résumés of qualifying applicants. The OPM must also create online platforms with information about (1) the types of assessments used and hiring outcomes, (2) educational requirements for certain positions and related justifications, and (3) authorities and programs that support agency recruitment and retention.

Official summary by the Congressional Research Service, via Congress.gov.

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