On Wednesday, May 11, the House Oversight and Reform Committee advanced the Building the Next Generation of Federal Employees Act (H.R. 6104). FMA supports the bill, sponsored by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), which would revitalize federal internship and fellowship programs and create a pipeline of talent to federal service.

Specifically, the bill would:

• Establish a comprehensive Federal Internship and Fellowship Center within the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to administer, manage, and promote all federal internship and fellowship programs;

• Ensure federal interns are paid for their service;

• Direct OPM to establish an online internship and fellowship platform, creating a one stop-shop for agencies to post and individuals to find internship, fellowship, and scholarship opportunities from across the federal government;

• Codify the successful Pathways internship program; and,

• Provide successful federal interns credit when applying for federal positions through the competitive hiring process.

H.R. 6104 would help transition interns into full-time feds by giving people who complete a qualified federal internship a boost in the competitive hiring process. FMA supports this effort to reward those who successfully demonstrate they are qualified and interested in federal service in the merit system process. The bill would broaden the federal internship program, making it a more effective recruiting tool. Rep. Connolly noted federal agencies offered approximately 60,000 paid internships in 2010, but that number dropped to roughly 4,000 in 2020.

FMA is hopeful the bill would help attract, create and fill a replenishing pool of young, qualified talent for federal service. To follow the progress of H.R. 6104, please click here.