Employment Abundance Act
The Employment Abundance Act would require the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FARC) to issue regulations directing all federal contractors with FAR contracts to review their job classifications and identify positions that currently require a college degree. For any positions where a degree is deemed not demonstrably necessary for the essential duties, the contractor must plan and report how they would revise the job classification to allow other qualifications (such as work experience, certifications, or skills assessments) in place of the degree. The act sets enforcement options (including possible ineligibility for future federal contracts) and preserves existing requirements when a degree is truly necessary for the job, mandated by law, regulation, or licensure. The rule would apply to contracts entered into after the regulations take effect. In short, the bill aims to reduce automatic degree requirements in federal contracting by making contractors review and potentially revise job classifications, thereby broadening eligibility beyond degree-holders where a degree isn’t truly required.
Key Points
- 1Federal contractors must undergo a comprehensive review of all job classifications in their federal contract-related workforce to identify positions that require a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- 2Contractors must determine whether the degree requirement is demonstrably necessary for performing essential job functions.
- 3Contractors must report within 180 days after the regulations’ effective date, listing positions lacking demonstrable necessity and outlining a plan to revise classifications using alternative criteria (e.g., work experience, certifications, skills assessments).
- 4Noncompliance could trigger administrative actions, including possible ineligibility for future federal contracts.
- 5The bill preserves degree requirements where they are shown to be necessary for job performance or mandated by law, regulation, or licensure; it does not bar all degree requirements in every case.