A bill to establish Federal agency technology and artificial intelligence talent teams to improve competitive service hiring practices, and for other purposes.
- Bill Number
- S. 3410
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Government Operations and Politics
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-12-10: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Last Updated
- 2026-01-09T11:56:19Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
This bill aims to enhance the federal government's ability to recruit and hire technology and artificial intelligence (AI) talent by creating specialized teams and improving hiring processes in the competitive service—a system where federal jobs are filled based on merit through open competition.
Key Provisions
- Agency Talent Teams: Federal agencies can form one or more "technology and AI talent teams" (or similar teams for other high-need areas). These teams include roles like certificate coordinators (who manage lists of qualified candidates), recruiters, assessment experts, subject matter experts (people with deep knowledge in the field), and support staff for AI governance, innovation, and risk management. Their duties include improving job exams, drafting job postings, sharing candidate lists, and speeding up hires using expert input.
- OPM-Led Federal Team: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM, the federal agency overseeing civil service rules) can create a government-wide team to support agency teams. This includes promoting best hiring practices, leading joint recruitment efforts, developing technical tests, and sharing candidate resumes and lists across agencies. OPM can also form teams for other urgent hiring needs and expand its existing "hiring experience team" to focus on rapid, group-based ("pooled") hiring, starting with AI roles.
- Technical Assessments: Agencies can use experts to create and run job-specific tests for tech and AI positions. These tests evaluate skills through methods like interviews, work exercises, coding challenges, or industry-standard evaluations. Agencies can share and adapt these tests, as long as they follow federal rules on fairness. OPM must build an online platform for sharing and customizing tests, where users can rate their usefulness (OPM won't verify content quality). Agencies should use existing tools, like the USA Hire platform, when possible.
- Definitions and Rules for Exams: Key terms are defined, including "examination" (a test of skills via assessments or expert-reviewed resumes, based on job needs). Starting five years after enactment, exams cannot mainly rely on self-assessments from automated tools unless waived by an agency's Chief Human Capital Officer (top HR official) with justification reported to OPM. OPM must post waivers publicly, and they only take effect after posting. A "subject matter expert" is an employee or official with relevant knowledge designated to help with tests.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Introduces new authority for agencies and OPM to form dedicated talent teams focused on tech/AI hiring, which did not exist before.
- Expands sharing of candidate lists and resumes under existing laws (e.g., 5 U.S.C. §§ 3318, 3319) to include tech-specific pooled hiring.
- Adds requirements for technical assessments, including an OPM platform for collaboration, and limits over-reliance on automated self-assessments after five years (with waiver process), altering how exams are conducted under current federal regulations (e.g., 5 CFR Part 300).
- Broadens delegation of exam authority to agencies while ensuring expert involvement and job-related criteria.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Streamlines hiring for tech and AI roles, potentially reducing vacancies and improving efficiency in areas like AI governance and innovation. Could lead to faster surge hiring during high-demand periods.
- Citizens: Indirectly benefits the public by enabling agencies to hire skilled workers more quickly, enhancing government services involving technology (e.g., cybersecurity, data management). Job seekers in tech/AI may find more opportunities through shared candidate pools and better-tailored assessments.
- International Relations: Minimal direct impact, though better-equipped agencies could strengthen U.S. tech leadership in global contexts like AI policy or international cooperation.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Federal Agencies: Especially those with tech/AI needs (e.g., defense, homeland security), as they gain tools for faster hiring.
- OPM and HR Professionals: Responsible for implementing teams, platforms, and waivers; must adapt processes for pooled and expert-driven hiring.
- Tech/AI Job Applicants and Experts: Benefit from clearer, skill-focused exams and broader sharing of opportunities, but face stricter limits on automated self-tests.
- Hiring Managers and Recruiters: Supported by talent teams to simplify job postings and assessments.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Reinforces merit-based hiring under Title 5 of the U.S. Code by emphasizing job-related, expert-validated exams, reducing risks of bias in automated tools. The waiver process adds accountability through public reporting, aligning with federal transparency rules.
- Constitutional: Supports the merit system principle in Article II (executive hiring powers) by promoting fair, competitive processes, potentially avoiding challenges related to arbitrary or discriminatory hiring.
- Political: Could address bipartisan concerns about federal tech talent shortages, enhancing government competitiveness in AI without major funding mandates. May spark debates on balancing innovation speed with regulatory oversight in AI hiring.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (1)
Recent Actions
- 2025-12-10: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- 2025-12-10: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- To establish Federal agency technology and artificial intelligence talent teams to improve competitive service hiring practices, and for other purposes. — issued 2025-12-10 — PDF (10 pages)