Tester introduces bill to reform federal hiring process

Senator’s bill will help recruit and retain quality employees

(U.S. SENATE) – Senator Jon Tester today introduced legislation that will allow federal agencies to streamline the hiring process by cutting duplicative services and saving taxpayers money.

Tester’s Competitive Service Act would allow agencies to share information about potential job candidates. Under existing law, if agencies have similar hiring needs, they cannot share assessments of applicants with one another. Tester’s bill would allow record-sharing, cutting down on duplicative work.

“This common-sense bill makes government more efficient,” said Tester, Chairman of the subcommittee that oversees the federal workforce. “It also helps speed up the hiring process so we can make sure we have a strong federal workforce that is ready to serve the American people.”

Tester’s bill is supported by the Partnership for Public Service, which advocates for a strong and innovative federal workforce.

“Kudos to Senator Tester for proposing common-sense, cost-effective federal hiring reforms that will allow agencies to more efficiently hire top-flight candidates,” said Max Stier, Partnership for Public Service President and CEO. “The legislation will authorize agencies to share their best-qualified job candidates with one another, which will enable our government to recruit better talent, in addition to saving time and money. We urge Congress to pass Senator Tester’s legislation.”

Tester announced his bill just weeks after holding a hearing on the state of the federal workforce, where witnesses testified that the government’s current hiring process, which is both cumbersome and lengthy, often places the federal government at a disadvantage when competing with the private sector for skilled workers.

Tester’s Competitive Service Act is co-sponsored by Senator Mark Begich (D-Alaska).

Tester’s Competitive Service Act by les_braswell5524