Federal Hiring Improvement Reform and Enforcement Act or the Federal HIRE Act
This bill provides direct-hire authority to federal agencies for purposes of filling positions in the competitive service for which there is a severe shortage of candidates, as determined by the agency.
Direct-hire authority is an expedited hiring authority that currently may be issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to fill positions in the competitive service for which there is a critical hiring need or severe shortage of candidates. OPM may issue such authority to agencies upon written request or upon an independent assessment that there is a critical hiring need or severe shortage of candidates for specific positions.
To provide greater flexibility to agencies to make appointments to 
 positions for which there is a severe shortage of candidates, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Hiring Improvement Reform 
and Enforcement Act'' or the ``Federal HIRE Act''.

SEC. 2. FEDERAL AGENCY APPOINTMENT FLEXIBILITY.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 31 of title 5, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 3116 the following new section:
``Sec. 3117. Agency appointment flexibility
    ``(a) In General.--The head of an agency may, without regard to the 
provisions of section 3304 and sections 3309 through 3318, appoint a 
qualified individual to a position within the agency that is in the 
competitive service and for which the head of the agency determines 
that there is a severe shortage of candidates.
    ``(b) Rule of Construction.--This provision shall not be construed 
as superseding or otherwise affecting any authority granted to the head 
of any agency under any other provision of law to make appointments 
without regard to a provision of chapter 33.
    ``(c) Agency Defined.--The term `agency' has the meaning given such 
term under section 551.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 31 of 
title 5, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item 
related to section 3116 the following item:

``3117. Agency appointment flexibility.''.
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Federal HIRE Act
To provide greater flexibility to agencies to make appointments to positions for which there is a severe shortage of candidates, and for other purposes.
Federal HIRE Act
Federal Hiring Improvement Reform and Enforcement Act
Rep. Steube, W. Gregory