[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9953 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9953
To establish a Federal returnship program to strengthen the Federal
workforce and to ease re-entry into the workforce for individuals who
have taken time away from work, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 8, 2024
Ms. Wexton (for herself, Ms. Norton, Ms. Lois Frankel of Florida, Ms.
McClellan, Mr. Raskin, and Mr. Trone) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a Federal returnship program to strengthen the Federal
workforce and to ease re-entry into the workforce for individuals who
have taken time away from work, 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 ``Return USA Act''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE; FINDINGS.
(a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to establish a pilot
returnship program for Federal civilian employment to expand
opportunities in the Federal civilian service for experienced, highly
qualified mid-career professionals who are seeking to return to the
workforce after a career break.
(b) Findings.--Congress finds as follows:
(1) To best represent and serve communities across the
United States, it is critical that the Federal Government is
able to attract and retain the best and brightest to its
workforce.
(2) According to the 2022 Federal Workforce Priorities
Report, the Office of Personnel Management has identified
several key areas for workforce development to ensure the
highly skilled and specialized Federal workforce can meet
emerging needs.
(3) Returnship programs, which help highly qualified,
highly skilled mid-career professionals to re-enter the
workforce after a career break, are utilized at over one-third
of Fortune 50 companies to help meet workforce needs, according
to an analysis by iRelaunch as of 2023.
(4) In April 2021, the State of Utah founded the first
public returnship program in the United States (Return Utah) to
meet workforce needs for mid-level State government positions.
(5) Returnship programs are often used to strengthen
opportunities for underrepresented populations, including women
who only represent 45 percent of the Federal workforce at large
and 40 percent of senior executive positions, according to the
Office of Personnel Management.
(6) Many parents, primarily women, leave the workforce when
they have young children or aging loved ones and struggle to
re-enter.
(7) According to data from the career platform LinkedIn,
approximately 43 percent more women list a career break on
their profile than men, and the most commonly cited reason for
taking a career break was child care.
(8) The ``motherhood penalty'', the loss of income,
difficulty re-entering the workforce, and slower career
progression faced by mothers in the workforce, can have a
devastating impact on women and the workforce and economy at
large.
(9) Following the birth of their first child, on average,
nearly 25 percent of women will leave the workforce in the
first year, and 17 percent will remain out of the workforce
after 5 years.
(10) Some experts estimate that the ``motherhood penalty''
is now the top driver of the gender pay gap, as mothers
experience a 60 percent reduction in earnings in the decade
following the birth of their first child compared to fathers.
SEC. 3. RETURN USA PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Director of the Office of Personnel Management
shall establish a Federal returnship pilot program at one or more
Federal agency. Such programs shall be known and designated as the
``Return USA Program''. The Program shall--
(1) target Federal civilian workforce needs; and
(2) assist professionals with at least 3 years of prior
work experience to re-enter the workforce, in civil service
positions that are above entry-level and commensurate with
their skills and experience, after a career break of at least 1
year that was unrelated to work performance or solely for the
pursuit of additional educational degrees, including a break
due to child or elder care, time after military service or
while a spouse was serving in the military service, or personal
health concerns.
(b) Requirements.--The Program shall--
(1) draw upon best practices from existing State and
private sector returnship programs to inform the structure,
supports, and implementation of the Program;
(2) provide onboarding, training, mentorship, and
professional and leadership development opportunities to
support and foster a Federal leadership trajectory for
participants;
(3) create cohorts of current and former Program
participants to foster community and support systems;
(4) last no less than one year in duration for each
participant; and
(5) prioritize providing opportunities for underrepresented
populations and, to the extent available, provide wraparound
supports, including child care.
(c) Recruitment.--The Director shall work with relevant public and
private partners to recruit prospective applicants, including creating
a unique Program hiring path on the website USAjobs.gov.
(d) Conversion.--The Director may convert any participant who
successfully completes the Program, as determined by the Director, to a
permanent appointment in the competitive service without further
competition.
(e) Reports to Congress.--At the end of each of fiscal years 2025
through 2029, the Director shall submit a report on the Program to the
Committee on Oversight and Accountability of the House of
Representatives, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs of the Senate, and the Committees on Appropriations of the
House of Representatives and the Senate. Each such report shall include
an overall description of the status of the Program and key success
metrics, including--
(1) the number of Program participants and the aggregate
demographic representation of Program participants;
(2) the number of Program participants retained in
permanent, full-time positions following completion of the
Program, participant's GS-level following completion, and
agency assignment, and the aggregate demographic representation
of Program participants retained and not retained in permanent,
full-time positions;
(3) opportunities to expand the returnship Programs into
additional Federal agencies or departments; and
(4) impact of the Program on the strength and diversity of
the Federal workforce.
(f) Duration.--
(1) In general.--The Program shall operate for a period of
three years beginning on the date the Director established the
Program under subsection (a). At the end of such period, the
Director shall--
(A) determine whether the Program was successful in
hiring and retaining qualified candidates; and
(B) submit a report on such determination to the
Committee on Oversight and Accountability of the House
of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate.
(2) Application.--If the Director determines under
paragraph (1)(A) that the Program was successful, the Director
shall continue to carry out the Program. The Program shall be
terminated on the date of such determination if the Director
determines that the Program was not successful.
(g) Definitions.--In this Act--
(1) the term ``civil service'' has the meaning given that
term in section 2101 of title 5, United States Code;
(2) the term ``competitive service'' has the meaning given
that term in section 2102 of such title 5;
(3) the term ``Director'' means the Director of the Office
of Personnel Management;
(4) the term ``Program'' means the Return USA Program
established under this Act; and
(5) the term ``underrepresented populations'' means groups
who have traditionally not had equal access to economic
opportunities because of discrimination or other societal
barriers and could include gender, race, ethnicity, disability,
or low-income status.
(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated $5,000,000 for each fiscal year, beginning with fiscal
year 2025, the Program is carried out consistent with the determination
under subsection (f)(1).
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