Markup Wrap Up: Oversight Committee Advances Legislation to Improve Transparency and Accountability in the Federal Workforce & Agencies

WASHINGTON—The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a markup and passed eleven bills to reform procedures in the federal workforce to promote greater transparency and bring accountability to federal agencies and the District of Columbia.  

“It is essential that the federal government maintains openness and accountability at every level so that the American people have a government that effectively serves them. The House Oversight Committee remains committed to protecting the integrity of Americans’ voices and ensuring they can serve in the federal workforce without unnecessary obstacles or bureaucratic interference. The Committee will continue to work in alignment with President Trump’s efforts to modernize and reform federal operations, review agencies’ performances, and eliminate barriers that prevent Americans from fully engaging in their government,” said Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.). 
 
The following bills were reported favorably by the House Oversight Committee: 
 
H.R. 151, Equal Representation Act: Introduced by Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.), this bill adds a citizenship inquiry to the census and excludes noncitizens from the apportionment base. 
 
“Are you a citizen of the United States? Yes or no. That’s it. By requiring this question, the United States government will be able to collect accurate data on the makeup of our population…It is an easy question, it is not confusing, and it does not reveal anything about an individual’s specific immigration status. Although the census will count and enumerate all individuals residing in the United States, this bill would ensure that only citizens are included in the apportionment base from which representation in Congress is determined,” said Chairman Comer. 
 
“Non-citizens cannot vote, but they are counted the same as voting citizens during apportionment. Under the current scheme, that means districts with fewer actual voters gain more political power despite having fewer Americans participating in elections…My job is to protect the voting rights of Arizona citizens, not to enhance political power for states that encourage illegal immigration. This should not be controversial. Only Americans should decide American elections, and that means starting at the apportionment process. And that means starting at the Census process,” said Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.). 
 
H.R. 5750, Ensuring a Qualified Civil Service Act (EQUALS) Act of 2025: Introduced by Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas), this bill establishes one-year probationary periods for “preference eligible” (e.g. veterans, widows, etc.) competitive and excepted service positions and two-year probationary periods for other federal employees.  The bill also requires federal managers and supervisors to affirmatively certify the continued employment of employees following successful completion of probationary periods. 
 
“President Trump noted in a recent Executive Order that agency approval should be required before probationary employees become tenured federal employees. This is in line with a February 2015 Government Accountability Office report, which stated that the supervisory probationary period may not be long enough for the supervisor to conduct performance management responsibilities,” said Chairman Comer.  
 
“[President Trump’s] executive order states that ‘the American people deserve a federal workforce that is high quality, efficient, dedicated to the public interest, and no larger than necessary.’ President Trump could not be more right. Probationary periods and trial periods are long standing, essential tools to ensure newly hired federal employees are sufficiently performing before their appointments are finalized permanently. I introduced the EQUALS Act to build upon President Trump’s Executive Order,” said Rep. Gill. 
 
H.R. 5749, Official Time Reporting Act: Introduced by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), this bill codifies annual reporting requirements for federal agencies, which must submit information to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). OPM will then make publish a report detailing the scope and cost to the government of funding “official time.” 
 
“Following his reelection, President Trump’s Office of Personnel Management directed the release of a study on ‘union time’ in the federal workforce, which was released in August. This report revealed the tremendous amount of taxpayer resources spent funding union activities rather than serving the American people. Dr. Foxx’s bill would codify reporting requirements necessary to ensure that the transparency and accountability provided by such reports transcends changes in Executive Branch leadership,” said Chairman Comer. 
 
“The Official Time Reporting Act will let the American people know exactly how much of their hard-earned money is spent not providing valuable services, but on union activities. This bill simply requires all agencies to report on the cost of taxpayer funded union time and to justify any aggregate annual increases. Frankly, many Americans may be surprised to hear that federal employees can use taxpayer funding to perform duties related to government employee unions,” said Rep. Foxx. 
 
H.R. 5810, Federal Supervisor Education Act of 2025: Introduced by Rep. William Timmons (R-S.C.), this bill directs agencies to strengthen existing legally required training in ways that enhance supervisory competencies and support mission execution and goal achievement. Specifically, the bill requires agencies to improve established training programs to better develop future agency managers and offer a range of individual development initiatives. 
 
“The American public relies on federal supervisors to lead a workforce that provides high quality customer service and faithful execution of the law. These expectations and standards require a level of professionalism that can be improved by strengthening relevant education offerings available to federal supervisors. [Mr. Timmons’s] bill would do just that, by bolstering existing requirements in federal law governing federal workforce training,” said Chairman Comer. 
 
“Right now, too many federal supervisors step into leadership roles without the training needed to manage people, set clear expectations or correct poor performance. Agencies promote strong technical employees into supervisory jobs and then send them in blind. That leads to low productivity, uneven standards, and a system where good employees feel unsupported and bad employees rarely face consequences. Taxpayers deserve better, and so do the federal workers who come in every day ready to do their jobs well. This bill takes a practical approach to fixing that. It requires agencies to provide real, meaningful training to new supervisors within their first year, not just a slideshow or a checkbox exercise,” said Rep. Timmons. 
 
H.R. 6330, Federal Relocation Payment Improvement Act: Introduced by Rep. Brian Jack (R-Ga.), this bill authorizes federal agencies to pay federal employee relocation expenses using a lump-sum payment method. 
 
“Fortunately, there is a tested alternative to the current system as demonstrated by agencies such as the Fish and Wildlife Service and Customs and Border Protection in a recent pilot program. Those agencies have utilized an existing authority to provide negotiated ‘lump-sum’ payments to relocating employees who are then responsible for completing their moves without having to navigate the existing processes. Their simplified ‘lump-sum’ payments and processes have reduced agency costs while boosting employee satisfaction. This bill would expand the currently limited statutory authorities for all agencies to provide such ‘lump-sum’ payments to relocating employees when such alternative is the most cost-effective option,” said Chairman Comer. 
 
“This bill will streamline and simplify a key part of that process while reducing the cost to taxpayers. This is an opportunity to save money and increase employee satisfaction in a manner that should garner bipartisan support. It’s the type of government efficiency reform our constituents demand from us,” said Rep. Jack. 
 
H.R. 6329, Information Quality Assurance Act (IQAA): Introduced by Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), this legislation builds upon the Information Quality Act (P.L. 106-554, Sec. 515) and the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-435) by requiring influential information or evidence (e.g., scientific, technical, or statistical information) on which agencies base new rules and guidance to be the best, reasonably available information or evidence. 
 
“Every year, courts strike down agency rules that do not rely on adequate information. The Information Quality Assurance Act takes several major—but straightforward—steps to solve that problem. For the first time, it requires that the information on which agencies use to form their rules and guidance be the best, reasonably available information,” said Chairman Comer. 
 
H.R. 3766, a bill to prohibit the District of Columbia from requiring tribunals in court or administrative proceedings in the District of Columbia to defer to the Mayor of the District of Columbia’s interpretation of statutes and regulations, and for other purposes: Introduced by Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), this bill prohibits the District of Columbia from requiring D.C. courts or administrative tribunals reviewing any rule, order or decision of the D.C. Mayor or any D.C. agency to defer to the Mayor’s or the agency’s interpretation of any statute or regulation they administer. 
 
“Over the years, Chevron deference fueled power grab after power grab by federal agencies as courts stood aside, deferring to agency interpretations of the law. Thankfully, in its decision in Loper Bright, the Supreme Court finally recognized the error of its ways and overruled Chevron. But the D.C. Council wants to ignore that wisdom and insists that Chevron deference live on in the D.C. courts, denying justice to D.C. residents. Congress should intervene by prohibiting the use of Chevron deference in the D.C. courts, which is precisely what this bill does. It makes no sense that people in D.C. courts still have to deal with Chevron deference while people in federal courts just down the street get the full benefit of the Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision,” said Chairman Comer. 
 
H.R. 5457, the Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets (SAMOSA) Act: Introduced by Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio), Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas), this bill reduces wasteful spending on duplicative software licenses by requiring federal agencies to update and expand their software inventories and develop a plan for consolidating or updating costly, unnecessary licenses. 
 
“The text we are considering today is identical to the text we passed out of the House by voice vote last Congress. This bill improves government software purchasing without unduly limiting the procurement options of federal agencies. It requires each agency to better manage its software and develop a plan for addressing any costly, unnecessary licenses. This will reduce wasteful spending and improve government efficiency,” said Chairman Comer.  
 
“This bill would not prescribe what software agencies should buy, but rather what agencies and ways to procure and keep track of the software they procure. This is intentional. We understand, as technology continues to develop, the software needs of agencies change and we need to allow them to remain agile. But agencies can remain agile in a way that is fiscally responsible, where taxpayers aren’t on the hook for duplicative, unnecessary software,” said Rep. Mace.   
 
H.R. 5235, Skills-Based Federal Contracting Act: Introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), the bill amends Chapter 33 of title 41 (Public Contracts—Procurement—Planning and Solicitation) to prohibit federal contract solicitations from requiring minimum education or experience qualifications for proposed contractor personnel, except when an agency’s needs cannot be met without such requirements. 
 
“We should not prohibit those with the right technical skills from performing federal contract work just because they lack a traditional degree. And the companies who employ them—those that offer apprenticeships and engage in skills-based hiring—should be encouraged to compete for government contracts, not be excluded from competition. This bill helps ensure that federal contractors are able to hire qualified professionals with the necessary knowledge, skills and drive—even if they lack a traditional four-year degree,” said Chairman Comer. 
 
“It’s not too much to ask for a brief written justification from a contracting officer to exclude over 60 percent of the American people who do not have a four-year degree from an opportunity to contract with the federal government. The federal government shouldn’t be barring skilled individuals who didn’t read Shakespeare and [don’t live in] ivory towers from being considered for federal contracting jobs. They deserve a chance to compete. To be clear, this bill in no way tells contractors how to hire or who to hire. Rather, it removes unnecessary federal restrictions on their ability to hire qualified, talented Americans who acquired their skills through alternative training,” said Rep. Mace.  
 

H.R. 143, Unauthorized Spending Accountability (USA) Act: Introduced by Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), the bill phases out programs whose authorized appropriations have expired. It establishes a three-year budget reduction cycle for unauthorized programs funded through the annual appropriations process, based on the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) annual report. 
 
“It is not too much to ask that Congress provide the appropriate level of scrutiny over the federal programs it has established and find the time every three years to ensure that federal funds are being used responsibly and effectively. The timeframe under the USA Act forces that to happen. Ensuring that every federal program is properly authorized gives Congress the oversight and budgetary tools to increase government efficiency, improve the effectiveness of federal agency programs and missions, and help reduce government spending,” said Chairman Comer. 
 
H.R. 5578, Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2025: Introduced by Ranking Member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Chairman James Comer, the bill extends whistleblower protections to federal contractors and their employees, shielding them from reprisal for certain disclosures. 
 
“Every person employed by the federal government should have adequate protection if he or she reports instances of fraud, waste, or abuse of taxpayer dollars. However, contractors with the federal government have different whistleblower protections than typical government employees…The Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act would address this by strengthening whistleblower protections for federal contractors by prohibiting reprisal for certain actions,” said Chairman Comer.