S. 1887 would provide special hiring authorities for federal agencies with the aim of expediting the hiring process for college graduates or veterans pursuing employment at the GS-11 level or below. The total number of such hires would be limited to 15 percent of the employees an agency hired in the previous year. In addition, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and agencies using this authority would need to report to the Congress on the effectiveness of the program over the next three years.
In recent years, around 20,000 federal employees have been hired annually at or below the GS-11 level. OPM also administers an effort that is similar to the proposed legislation, the Pathways Program, which expedites the hiring of recent graduates. Because that program is ongoing and because the potential number of hires under S. 1887 would be limited to 15 percent (or about 3,000) of the openings at or below GS-11, CBO estimates that there would be no significant cost to create the new program.
Enacting S. 1887 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
CBO estimates that enacting S. 1887 would not increase direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
S. 1887 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.