December 10, 2025
Ms. Jacobs (for herself, Mr. Obernolte, Ms. Brown, and Mr. Fallon) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
To establish Federal agency technology and artificial intelligence talent teams to improve competitive service hiring practices, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the AI Talent Act
.
Sec. 2. Technology and ai talent teams, other talent teams, and competitive service hiring
(a) Federal agency technology and AI talent teams
(1) In general
An agency may establish one or more technology and artificial intelligence talent teams (referred to in this section as agency talent teams
), including at the component level. An agency talent team may consist of positions of shared certificate coordinators, recruiters, assessment experts, subject matter experts, and non-technical positions that enable artificial intelligence governance, innovation, and risk management.
(2) Duties
An agency talent team shall provide hiring support to the agency and other agencies for technology and artificial intelligence positions, including by—
(A)
improving examinations for such positions;
(B)
facilitating writing job announcements for such positions in the competitive service;
(C)
sharing high-quality certificates of eligibles; and
(D)
facilitating hiring for such positions in the competitive service using examinations and subject matter experts.
(3) Other matters
(A) Other teams
An agency may establish centralized guidance and practices to support agency-led talent teams in order to address high-need hiring areas.
(B) OPM
The Office of Personnel Management may expand the hiring experience team at the Office to continue to focus on improving the hiring experience for hiring managers, human resource professionals, and applicants starting with scaling best practices for agencies around pooled hiring in support of artificial intelligence and artificial intelligence enabling roles.
(b) OPM team
(1) In general
The Director of the Office of Personnel Management may establish a Federal technology and artificial intelligence talent team to support agency talent teams in facilitating pooled hiring actions for technology and artificial intelligence talent across the Federal Government, providing training, and creating technology platforms to facilitate hiring for the competitive service, including—
(A)
ensuring agencies are using best practices for technology and artificial intelligence hiring;
(B)
leading cross-Government hiring efforts for technology and artificial intelligence hiring and engagement with key candidates;
(C)
the development of technical assessments; and
(D)
the sharing of certificates of eligibles and accompanying résumés under sections 3318(b) and 3319(c) of title 5, United States Code.
(2) Other teams
The Director—
(A)
may establish other talent teams to address high-need hiring areas at any agency; and
(B)
may expand the hiring experience team at the Office to focus on surge hiring and scaling pooled hiring, with initial focus on artificial intelligence and artificial intelligence enabling roles.
(c) Technical assessments
(1) In general
For the purpose of conducting an examination for technology and artificial intelligence positions in the competitive service, any individual whom an agency determines to have an expertise in the subject and job field of the position may—
(A)
develop, in partnership with human resources employees of the examining agency, a position-specific assessment that is relevant to the position; and
(B)
administer the assessment developed under subparagraph (A) to—
(i)
determine whether an applicant for the position has demonstrated the established qualifications for the position; or
(ii)
rank applicants for the position for category rating purposes under section 3319 of title 5, United States Code.
(2) Sharing and customization of assessments
(A) Sharing
An examining agency may share a technical assessment under this subsection with another examining agency if each agency maintains appropriate control over examination material.
(B) Customization
An examining agency with which a technical assessment is shared under subparagraph (A) may customize the assessment as appropriate, provided that the resulting assessment satisfies the requirements under part 300 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation).
(C) Platform for sharing and customization
(i) In general
The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall establish and operate an online platform on which examining agencies can share and customize technical assessments under this subsection.
(ii) Online platform
The Director shall—
(I)
not be responsible for independently validating the utility of the content and technical assessments shared in the online platform described in clause (i); and
(II)
ensure that such online platform includes the ability of its users to rate the utility of the content and technical assessments shared in the online platform to allow for a ranking of such contents.
(3) Existing platforms
If practicable, an agency shall use an existing hiring platform, including the USA Hire platform, to conduct technical assessments.
(d) Definitions
In this section:
(1) Agency
The term agency means an agency described in section 901(b) of title 31, United States Code.
(2) Examination
(A) In general
The term examination—
(i)
means an opportunity to directly demonstrate knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies for that position through an assessment;
(ii)
includes a résumé review that is—
(I)
conducted or informed by a subject matter expert; and
(II)
based upon indicators that—
(aa)
are derived from a job analysis; and
(bb)
bear a rational relationship to performance in the position for which the examining agency is making an appointment; and
(iii)
subject to subparagraph (B), on and after the date that is 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act, does not solely include or principally rely upon a self-assessment from an automated examination.
(B) Waiver
(i) Chief human capital officer
The Chief Human Capital Officer of an agency may waive subparagraph (A)(iii) if, not later than 30 days after the date on which the Officer authorizes the waiver, the Officer submits to the Director of the Office of Personnel Management a written report that justifies the need for the waiver and articulates the data, evidence, and circumstances for that need.
(ii) OPM
The Director of the Office of Personnel Management—
(I)
may provide agencies with guidance and instruction on the data, evidence, and circumstances that should be included in a waiver described in clause (i); and
(II)
not later than 30 days after the date on which the Director receives a waiver under clause (i), shall post the waiver on a public website.
(iii) Effect
A waiver authorized under clause (i) shall not be considered to have taken effect until the Director of the Office of Personnel Management posts the waiver under clause (ii).
(3) Examining agency
The term examining agency means—
(A)
the Office of Personnel Management; or
(B)
an agency to which the Director has delegated examining authority under section 1104(a)(2) of title 5, United States Code.
(4) Subject matter expert
The term subject matter expert means an employee or selecting official—
(A)
who possesses understanding of the duties of, and knowledge, skills, and abilities required for, the position for which the employee or selecting official is developing or administering an assessment; and
(B)
whom the agency that employs the employee or selecting official designates to assist in the development and administration of technical assessments under subsection (c).
(5) Technical assessment
The term technical assessment means an assessment developed under subsection (c) that—
(A)
allows for the demonstration of job-related technical skills, abilities, and knowledge;
(B)
(i)
is based upon a job analysis; and
(ii)
is relevant to the position for which the assessment is developed;
(C)
may include—
(i)
a structured interview;
(ii)
a work-related exercise;
(iii)
a custom or generic procedure used to measure an individual’s employment or career-related qualifications and interests;
(iv)
another assessment that meets the criteria under clauses (i) and (ii);
(v)
external industry assessments, including multi-hurdle or skills-based assessments; or
(vi)
coding tests, automated transcription, or flexible timed exercises.