The Senate late Tuesday approved legislation to streamline the federal government's hiring and recruitment process, forcing agencies to develop strategic workforce plans and fill job vacancies in no more than 80 days.
The legislation, passed with unanimous consent, would require federal agencies to develop plans to address hiring projections and critical skills gaps in the workforce, post job announcements in plain writing and provide timely notification to applicants of their application status.
Passage of the bill comes just one week after the Obama administration issued a presidential memorandum designed to overhaul the federal hiring process. Like the reforms outlined in the memo, the legislation would allow applicants to apply for jobs using only cover letters and resumes and would require agencies to fill vacancies within 80 days.
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
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