President signs Portman bill to streamline federal hiring

3/21/2016

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R., Ohio) today said a bipartisan bill he co-authored to reduce duplication for federal job-seekers was signed into law by President Obama.

The legislation, co-authored with Sen. Jon Tester (D., Mont.), and co-sponsored by Sens. Ben Cardin (D., Md.), Jerry Moran (R., Kan.), and Heidi Heitkamp (D., N.D.), streamlines the hiring process by allowing federal agencies to review each other’s ”best qualified list” of applicants.

The Competitive Service Act was signed by the president Friday, according to a spokesman for Mr. Portman.

The law cuts down on duplication for applicants who have already undergone a competitive assessment process and are certified as eligible for selection. Currently, agencies that have similar hiring needs cannot share such applicant information with one another, Mr. Portman’s office said.

“It’s critical that the federal government has world-class, highly-trained individuals able to deal with sensitive national security issues like cybersecurity and information technology,” Mr. Portman said.

The legislation was supported by several associations representing government employees, including the Partnership for Public Service, National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, Federal Managers Association, and the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration.