The bill, introduced by Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., would enshrine in law that past marijuana use cannot be the sole basis for denying federal job applicants a position or security clearance.
Arati Prabhakar, the director of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, said the government’s adoption of emerging capabilities “hinges on getting terrific people to come do this work.”
Lower attrition means that the agency will continue to promote internal recruitment, but limit some outside hires to ensure it that it can align both funding and core mission functions.
Some of the GAO’s priority recommendations include overhauling the General Schedule classification and pay system and simplifying agency hiring authorities.
A new report from the watchdog said that the National Nuclear Security Administration has made progress on addressing its staffing efforts, but continues to budget for a smaller workforce than it needs.
Despite being the top contributor to the United Nations, the GAO found that the number of American citizen employees at certain agencies fell short of geographic representation targets set by the international organization.
COMMENTARY | By keeping DEI at the heart of recruitment and retention strategies, government leaders can address some of the complex challenges our country faces day in and out.
Officials hope that the changes will better equip agencies to tackle skills gaps and help finally address the more than two-decade-long struggle to remove human capital management from the government’s High Risk List.