FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 17, 2024
December 17, 2024
Contact:
Tim Kauffman
202-639-6405/202-374-6491
[email protected]
Largest Federal Employee Union Applauds Passage of Chance to Compete Act
Bipartisan bill headed to President Biden’s desk will strengthen federal hiring
WASHINGTON – American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley today issued the following statement following House and Senate passage of S. 59, the Chance to Compete Act of 2024:
“For too many years, Congress has whittled away at the government’s competitive hiring process and allowed agencies to bypass rules designed to ensure applicants with the best skills and abilities are recruited.
“The Chance to Compete Act reestablishes skills-based technical assessments, not subjective self-evaluations, as the cornerstone of the government’s hiring process. The bill will expand and strengthen the government’s pool of qualified applicants by ensuring vacancies are open to the public and other qualified workers, empaneling subject-matter experts to review and screen applicants, and encouraging agencies to share skills assessment tests with each other to aid in filling similar positions across government.
“Federal employees protect public safety, serve our veterans, safeguard our borders, and advance the frontiers of knowledge. The American people should have confidence that we are recruiting the best and most qualified candidates to work in the federal government, and this legislation will set up agencies for success.
“I applaud members of the House and Senate for approving the bill and sending it to President Biden desk for his signature. I also want to recognize the bill’s sponsors and chief supporters, including Sens. Kyrsten Simena, Bill Hagerty, James Lankford, Tom Carper, and Gary Peters and Reps. Virginia Foxx, James Comer, Nancy Mace, Gerry Connolly, Kweisi Mfume, and Jamie Raskin.”
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