Hiring Proven Performers to the Civil Service Act

This bill authorizes a federal agency to noncompetitively appoint certain high-performing federal employees.

Specifically, an agency may noncompetitively appoint, for other than temporary employment, to a position in the competitive service any individual who

• is certified by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) as having been a high-performing employee in a former position in the competitive service;
• has been separated from the former position for less than six years; and
• is qualified for the new position in the competitive service, as determined by the head of the agency making the appointment.

An individual may not be appointed to such a position more than once.

OPM must set forth the criteria for certifying an individual as a high-performing employee in a former position based on (1) the individual's final performance appraisal in that former position, and (2) a recommendation by the individual's immediate or other supervisor in that position.