Federal Hiring Improvement Reform and Enforcement Act or the Federal HIRE Act

This bill provides direct-hire authority to federal agencies for purposes of filling positions in the competitive service for which there is a severe shortage of candidates, as determined by the agency.

Direct-hire authority is an expedited hiring authority that currently may be issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to fill positions in the competitive service for which there is a critical hiring need or severe shortage of candidates. OPM may issue such authority to agencies upon written request or upon an independent assessment that there is a critical hiring need or severe shortage of candidates for specific positions.