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.
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
<p><strong>Saving the Civil Service Act</strong></p><p>This 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.)</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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. </p>
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
