Pipeline to Service Act
The Pipeline to Service Act is a two-part bill aimed at expanding the Federal government’s pipeline of new graduates into public service. Title I creates a new Office of Personnel Management (OPM) program to recruit students from colleges and universities into Executive agencies. It emphasizes partnerships with higher education, career advising, professional development, resume help, and job search assistance on USAJOBS, with a focus on recruiting students from historically underrepresented communities. It also sets a minimum pay for interns (not less than $15 per hour, with annual CPI-based increases), requires annual demographic reporting on participants, and authorizes annual funding of $15 million (2026-2030) with a set aside (at least 30%) for minority-serving institutions, junior/community colleges, and land-grant universities. Title II establishes a significantly expanded Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program, branded as the TALENTS Act. It empowers OPM to determine how many Fellows to admit each year (with a near-doubling growth target through 2031), creates detailed rules for eligibility, appointment, development, rotations, and eventual conversion to the competitive service, and introduces formal leadership development requirements (IDPs, mentorship, rotations, and annual training). It also creates structures for interagency movement of Fellows, readmission and withdrawal rules, and a formal certification pathway through Executive Resources Boards, with the possibility of conversion to permanent or term appointments in the competitive service. Additionally, the bill establishes Federal Executive Boards to coordinate agency activities in major metropolitan areas and to support the program's field operations.
Key Points
- 1Establishes an OPM program to recruit students from colleges and universities into Executive agencies, with duties including course guidance, workshops, resume training, job searches on USAJOBS, and targeted outreach to underrepresented communities; requires annual reporting on program outcomes.
- 2Intern pay for Federal internships is set at a minimum of $15 per hour, with annual adjustments based on the Consumer Price Index.
- 3Authorizes $15 million per year (FY2026–FY2030) to support the new student-recruitment program, with at least 30% of funds dedicated to minority-serving institutions, junior/community colleges, and land-grant universities.
- 4Title II creates the Presidential Management Fellows Program (TALENTS Act) to attract top recent graduates across disciplines, with growth to 200% of the prior-year Fellows for 2026–2031 and expanded agency involvement.
- 5Defines PMF eligibility, selection, appointment (2-year excepted-service appointments), development plans (IDPs), mandatory training (minimum 80 hours per year excluding certain mandatory trainings), mentorship, and rotational/short-term assignments to build leadership and management skills.
- 6Provides for interagency movement of Fellows, with no break in service and time toward program completion; outlines withdrawal/readmission rules, and the possibility of conversion to competitive service if Fellows meet certification requirements.
- 7Creates an interagency framework for field operations via Federal Executive Boards (locations in major metros), including governance by the Director, agency representation, annual work plans, and reporting requirements.
- 8Establishes processes for certification by Executive Resources Boards and defines consequences of non-certification, including potential withdrawal and conversion restrictions; allows appeals and reconsideration under specified conditions.