Saving the Civil Service Act

Senate Bill

S. 134

119th Congress

Saving the Civil Service Act

In Committee

Introduced:Jan 16, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Tim Kaine

Senator

Democratic

VA

Cosponsors

22

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Government Operations and Politics

Summary

This bill prevents reclassification of civil service positions to eliminate job protections. It prohibits moving competitive service positions to excepted service categories beyond those existing as of September 2020, blocking implementation of Schedule F-type policies. Transfers to Schedule C or between service categories require OPM consent or employee consent, protecting career federal workers from politically-motivated reclassification.

Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

SponsorTim Kaine (D-VA)

Introduced1/16/2025

StatusRead twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

ChamberSenate

Data from Congress.gov

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Vote Prediction

Saving the Civil Service Act

This bill prevents reclassification of civil service positions to eliminate job protections. It prohibits moving competitive service positions to excepted service categories beyond those existing as of September 2020, blocking implementation of Schedule F-type

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This bill prevents reclassification of civil service positions to eliminate job protections. It prohibits moving competitive service positions to excepted service categories beyond those existing as of September 2020, blocking implementation of Schedule F-type policies. Transfers to Schedule C or between service categories require OPM consent or employee consent, protecting career federal workers from politically-motivated reclassification.

Bill Number: 134
Sponsor: Tim Kaine (D-VA)
Introduced: 1/16/2025
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Policy Area: Government Operations and Politics

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: Saving the Civil Service Act
Bill Number: 134
Sponsor: Tim Kaine (D-VA)
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Introduced: 1/16/2025
Summary: This bill prevents reclassification of civil service positions to eliminate job protections. It prohibits moving competitive service positions to excepted service categories beyond those existing as of September 2020, blocking implementation of Schedule F-type policies. Transfers to Schedule C or be

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill prevents reclassification of civil service positions to eliminate job protections. It prohibits moving competitive service positions to excepted service categories beyond those existing as of September 2020, blocking implementation of Schedule F-type policies. Transfers to Schedule C or between service categories require OPM consent or employee consent, protecting career federal workers from politically-motivated reclassification.

Last updated: 1/4/2026

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Saving the Civil Service ActThis bill generally prohibits changes to the classification of positions in the competitive service and excepted service unless certain conditions are met. (Competitive service positions are subject to competitive examination while excepted service positions are appointed under one of five schedules. Competitive service positions have notice and appeal requirements for adverse actions that are not applicable to most excepted positions, including those of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character under Schedule C.)On October 21, 2020, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that placed executive agency positions that are of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character, and that are not normally subject to change as a result of a presidential transition, under a new Schedule F in the excepted service. The order was subsequently revoked by President Joe Biden.The bill prohibits executive agency positions in the competitive service from being placed in the excepted service, unless such positions are placed in a schedule in the excepted service as in effect on September 30, 2020. The bill also prohibits positions in the excepted service from being placed in any schedule other than the aforementioned schedules.Additionally, agencies may not (1) transfer occupied positions from the competitive or excepted service into Schedule C without the consent of the Office of Personnel Management, or (2) transfer employees in the excepted service to another schedule or transfer employees in the competitive service to the excepted service without employee consent.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Prohibits reclassification of competitive service positions
Freezes excepted service schedules at September 2020 status
Blocks Schedule F-type policies for career employees
Requires OPM consent for Schedule C transfers
Protects employees from forced service category changes

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This legislation directly responds to the Trump-era Schedule F executive order that would have stripped civil service protections from policy-related positions. By locking in classification structures, the bill prevents future administrations from reclassifying career employees as at-will workers. It codifies protections that currently exist only through executive action reversing Schedule F.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Government Operations and Politics

Related Subjects

Congressional oversight

Federal officials

Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

134, 119th Congress (2025). "Saving the Civil Service Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-s-134

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