[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1768 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1768
To establish the Presidential Management Fellows Program, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 14, 2025
Mr. Kim (for himself and Mr. Merkley) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the Presidential Management Fellows Program, 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 ``Training Aspiring Leaders Emerging
Now To Serve Act'' or the ``TALENTS Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Advanced degree; qualifying educational institution.--
(A) In general.--The terms ``advanced degree'' and
``qualifying educational institution'' have the
meanings given those terms in section 362.102 of title
5, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor
regulation.
(B) Determination by director.--The Director may
determine whether a master's certificate qualifies as
an advanced degree for the purposes of the Program.
(2) Agency.--The term ``agency''--
(A) has the meaning given the term ``Executive
agency'' in section 105 of title 5, United States Code;
and
(B) includes the Government Publishing Office.
(3) Agency pmf coordinator.--The term ``agency PMF
Coordinator'' means an individual, at the appropriate component
level of an agency, who--
(A) coordinates the placement, development, and
other Program-related activities of Fellows appointed
in the agency; and
(B) satisfies the criteria described in section
362.104(a)(8) of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations,
or any successor regulation.
(4) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the Office of Personnel Management.
(5) Executive resources board.--The term ``Executive
Resources Board''--
(A) means an Executive Resources Board described in
section 317.501(a) of title 5, Code of Federal
Regulations, or any successor regulation; and
(B) with respect to an agency that is not required
to have an Executive Resources Board pursuant to
section 317.501(a) of title 5, Code of Federal
Regulations, or any successor regulation, means the
senior agency official to whom the head of the agency
has given responsibility for executive resources
management and oversight.
(6) Federal executive board.--The term ``Federal Executive
Board'' means a Federal Executive Board established under
section 11.
(7) Fellow.--The term ``Fellow'' means an individual
appointed to serve as a Fellow under the Program.
(8) Metropolitan area.--The term ``metropolitan area''
means a geographic zone surrounding a major city, as defined
and delimited from time to time by the Director.
(9) Principal area officer.--
(A) In general.--The term ``principal area
officer'' means, with respect to an agency, the senior
official of the agency who is located in a metropolitan
area and who has no superior official within that
metropolitan area other than in the regional office of
the agency.
(B) Multiple bureaus.--If an agency maintains
facilities of more than 1 bureau or other subdivision
within a metropolitan area, and the heads of those
facilities are in separate chains of command within the
agency, the agency may have more than 1 principal area
officer.
(10) Principal regional officer.--The term ``principal
regional officer'' means, with respect to an agency, the senior
official in a regional office of the agency.
(11) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the Presidential
Management Fellows Program established under this Act.
(12) Special representative.--The term ``special
representative'' means, with respect to an agency, an official
who is--
(A) not subject to the supervision of a principal
regional officer or a principal area officer; and
(B) specifically designated by the head of the
agency to serve as the personal representative of the
head of the agency.
SEC. 3. PROGRAM ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION.
(a) Establishment.--There is established the Presidential
Management Fellows Program, the purpose of which is to attract to the
Federal service outstanding individuals from a variety of academic
disciplines and career paths who have a clear interest in, and
commitment to, excellence in the leadership and management of public
policies and programs.
(b) Director Responsibilities.--
(1) Number of fellows.--
(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the
Director shall determine the number of individuals who
will be finalists to be appointed as Fellows during any
given fiscal year, which shall be based on input from
the Chief Human Capital Officers Council and from
agencies not represented on that Council.
(B) Increase in positions during fiscal years 2026
through 2031.--During each of fiscal years 2026 through
2031, the Director shall ensure that the number of
positions for Fellows under the Program during the
applicable fiscal year is equal to 200 percent of the
number of positions for Fellows under the Program in
the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year in which this
Act is enacted, as the Program was carried out under
subpart D of part 362 of title 5, Code of Federal
Regulations, as in effect during that fiscal year.
(2) Establishment of qualifications.--The Director shall
establish the qualification requirements for evaluating
applicants for the Program.
(c) Agency Processes.--
(1) In general.--After the Director makes the determination
under subsection (b)(1)(A) with respect to a fiscal year, an
agency may appoint individuals selected by the Director as
finalists to be Fellows according to the short-, medium-, and
long-term senior leadership and related recruitment,
development, and succession requirements of the agency.
(2) Field locations outside of washington, dc.--An agency
that appoints a Fellow to a position in a field location
outside of the Washington, DC metropolitan area may--
(A) before making the appointment, discuss whether
the candidate would like to do a developmental rotation
to the headquarters of the agency and, if so, make a
commitment to allow and fund such a rotation, to the
maximum extent practicable, in accordance with section
6(b); and
(B) promote interaction among regional Fellows with
the agency Federal Executive Board and permit that
Fellow to attend activities sanctioned by that Federal
Executive Board in that region.
SEC. 4. ANNOUNCEMENT, ELIGIBILITY, AND SELECTION.
(a) Announcement.--The Director shall annually announce the ability
to apply for the Program and conduct a competition for the selection of
finalists, as set forth in this section.
(b) Eligibility.--
(1) Application period.--To apply for participation in the
Program, an individual shall--
(A) have obtained an advanced degree from a
qualifying educational institution not more than 2
years before the date on which the Director makes the
applicable announcement under subsection (a); or
(B) if the individual is attending a graduate or
professional school (such as law school or medical
school), as of the date on which the individual
applies, expect to complete an advanced degree
described in subparagraph (A) not later than August 31
of the academic year in which the competition is held.
(2) Service as fellow.--An individual may not serve as a
Fellow unless the individual has, not more than 2 years before
the date on which the individual begins serving as a Fellow,
completed an advanced degree from a qualifying educational
institution.
(3) Multiple applications.--An individual may apply to
participate in the Program more than once if the individual
satisfies the applicable eligibility criteria, except that, if
an individual becomes a finalist and subsequently applies to
participate in the Program during the next open announcement,
the individual shall forfeit that status of the individual as a
finalist.
(c) Selection.--
(1) In general.--The Director shall select Fellow finalists
based on the results of a rigorous structured assessment
process, which shall allow the Director to grant a preference
for any individual who is preference eligible, as defined in
section 2108 of title 5, United States Code, in accordance with
the provisions of that title.
(2) Publication of list.--The Director shall publish and
provide to agencies a list of Fellow finalists.
SEC. 5. APPOINTMENT AND EXTENSION.
(a) Appointments.--
(1) In general.--An agency--
(A) may, subject to subsection (b), make 2-year
appointments to the Program under Schedule D of the
excepted service in accordance with part 302 of title
5, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor
regulations; and
(B) shall appoint a Fellow using the excepted
service appointing authority provided under section
213.3402(c) of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, or
any successor regulation.
(2) Eligibility period.--The Director shall establish an
eligibility period during which agencies may appoint Fellow
finalists.
(b) Extensions.--In accordance with criteria established by an
agency, the agency may extend the term of a Fellow for not more than
120 days to cover a rare or unusual circumstance.
(c) Grade.--An agency may appoint a Fellow at the GS-09, GS-11, or
GS-12 level (or any equivalent under a pay and classification system
other than the General Schedule, such as the Federal Wage System)
depending on the qualifications of the Fellow.
(d) Trial Period.--The duration of the appointment of a Fellow in
the excepted service shall be considered to be a trial period, but not
a probationary period.
(e) Work Schedules.--
(1) In general.--Subject to the other provisions of this
subsection, a Fellow shall have a full-time work schedule.
(2) Part-time schedules.--
(A) In general.--A Fellow may request a part-time
work schedule for a limited period of not more than 180
days, which the agency may approve if--
(i) the agency and the Fellow have
determined that such approval would not
negatively impact the ability of the Fellow to
meet all Program requirements by the end of the
appointment of the Fellow; and
(ii) the agency includes an approval of a
specific time period during which the part-time
work schedule applies that the agency
determines to be appropriate.
(B) Updating of agreement.--The Program agreement
of a Fellow shall be updated with the new work schedule
of the Fellow upon the approval of any part-time
schedule under subparagraph (A).
(C) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this
paragraph may be construed to entitle a Fellow to the
approval of a request for a part-time work schedule.
(f) Relationship to Direct-Hire Authority.--Notwithstanding any
provision of section 3115 or 3116 of title 5, United States Code, an
appointment by an agency under the Program shall be considered to be an
appointment made using the authority provided to the agency under the
applicable section.
SEC. 6. DEVELOPMENT, EVALUATION, PROMOTION, AND CERTIFICATION.
(a) Individual Development Plans.--Not later than 90 days after the
date on which the Program begins in a fiscal year, the head of each
agency shall approve an Individual Development Plan (referred to in
this section as an ``IDP'') for each Fellow serving under an
appointment within the agency, which shall--
(1) set forth the specific developmental activities that
are mutually agreed upon by the Fellow and the supervisor of
the Fellow; and
(2) be developed in consultation with--
(A) the supervisor of the Fellow; and
(B)(i) the agency PMF Coordinator; or
(ii) the mentor assigned to the Fellow, who shall
not be required to be assigned by the agency.
(b) Required Developmental Activities.--
(1) General resources.--
(A) OPM responsibilities.--The Director shall
provide, for each class or cohort of Fellows--
(i) leadership development activities and
general Program resources; and
(ii) information on available training
opportunities known to the Director.
(B) Agency responsibilities.--Each agency shall
provide to each class or cohort of Fellows appropriate
agency-specific onboarding and employee orientation
activities.
(2) Agency training.--
(A) In general.--Each agency shall provide each
Fellow serving under an appointment within the agency
not fewer than 80 hours of formal interactive training
per year that addresses the competencies outlined in
the applicable IDP.
(B) Certain training not included.--Mandatory
annual training, such as information security and
ethics training, shall not count toward the
satisfaction of the requirement under subparagraph (A).
(3) Mentors.--Not later than 90 days after the start of an
appointment of a Fellow, the applicable agency shall assign the
Fellow a mentor, who shall be a managerial employee of the
agency outside the chain of command of the Fellow.
(4) Assignments.--An agency shall provide each Fellow
serving under an appointment within the agency with not less
than 1 rotational or developmental assignment with full-time
management or technical responsibilities that is consistent
with the IDP of the Fellow and the following:
(A) Each Fellow shall receive not less than 1
developmental assignment that is not shorter than 120
days and not longer than 180 days, which shall have
management or technical responsibilities consistent
with the IDP of the Fellow.
(B)(i) The developmental assignment described in
subparagraph (A) may be within the organization of the
Fellow, in another component of the employing agency,
or in another agency, as permitted by the employing
agency.
(ii) Each assignment described in this subparagraph
shall be in a different work unit led by a supervisor
other than the usual supervisor of the Fellow.
(C)(i) Each developmental assignment described in
subparagraph (A) shall provide a challenging work
experience of a caliber appropriate for a participant
in the flagship leadership development program of the
Federal Government.
(ii) For the purposes of clause (i), an appropriate
developmental assignment may include a project
implementing a new executive order or major piece of
legislation, agency reorganization, or cross-agency
collaboration on a major initiative.
(5) Short-term assignments.--In addition to the assignments
described in paragraph (4), a Fellow may receive another short-
term rotational assignment, which--
(A) shall be not shorter than 30 days and not
longer than 180 days, at the discretion of the
employing agency; and
(B) may take place within the organization of the
Fellow, in another component of the employing agency,
or in another agency, as permitted by the employing
agency.
(6) Assessment of subsequent classes.--
(A) In general.--Upon the request of the Director,
the employing agency shall make a Fellow available to
assist in the assessment process for subsequent Program
classes.
(B) Satisfaction of training requirements.--Any
interactive training provided to a Fellow in connection
with assisting the Director under subparagraph (A) may
be counted toward the training requirement under
paragraph (2).
(c) Promotion.--
(1) In general.--An employing agency may promote any Fellow
who meets the qualification requirements for the applicable
position.
(2) Rule of construction.--Nothing in paragraph (1) may be
construed to confer any entitlement to a promotion.
(d) Certificate of Completion.--
(1) In general.--
(A) ERB evaluation.--Not later than 45 da