On December 1, the House Government Operations Subcommittee held a hearing titled “The Future of Federal Work,” to “examine the federal government’s recruitment and hiring policies and explore strategies to help build the next generation of public servants.”

Chairman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) led a discussion that touched on issues related to promoting federal internships, encouraging the use of telework and remote work within the federal government, and implementing recommendations to strengthen the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Connolly introduced the Building the Next Generation of Federal Employees Act (H.R. 6104) on the same day as the hearing. The legislation would establish a comprehensive Federal Internship and Fellowship Center within OPM, and require federal agencies to pay interns, in order “to attract a qualified and diverse pool of candidates to the federal workforce and would create a pathway for interns to transition to full-time employment in public service.”

During the hearing, Connolly noted he is currently drafting legislation to encourage the continued use of telework and remote work flexibilities across the federal workforce and enhance available metrics for measuring telework usage and employee performance.

Additionally, Connolly recently introduced the Strengthening the Office of Personnel Management Act (H.R. 6066), which would reaffirm the role of OPM as the leader for civilian human resource management in the federal government, encourage innovation in the office’s management of human capital, and strengthen the offices’ ability to support federal human capital management as a strategic priority, among other purposes. H.R. 6066 builds on recommendations from the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) on reforming OPM for the 21^st century.

FMA will work with Chairman Connolly and other Members of Congress on these bills and others to help position federal managers. To follow the progress of these bills, please click here.