H.R. 492 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the House, sent to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Jan 16, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryProtects competitive civil service job classifications
This bill would limit how government agencies can reclassify civil service positions. Right now, there are two main types of federal jobs: competitive positions (which require competitive exams) and excepted positions (which don't). The bill would prevent agencies from moving competitive positions into the excepted category, unless those positions already fit into one of the existing excepted categories that existed before October 2020. It would also require employee consent before moving someone from one type of job to another.
How it affects you
Federal employees in competitive positions would see more protection for their job classifications and notice-and-appeal rights. This directly affects career civil servants, who would need agency approval and in some cases their own permission before their jobs could be reclassified in ways that might remove those protections. The bill does not affect most Americans who are not federal employees.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Jan 16, 2025)
Saving the Civil Service Act
This bill generally prohibits changes to the classification of positions in the competitive service and excepted service unless certain conditions are met. (Competitive service positions are subject to competitive examination while excepted service positions are appointed under one of five schedules. Competitive service positions have notice and appeal requirements for adverse actions that are not applicable to most excepted positions, including those of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character under Schedule C.)
On October 21, 2020, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that placed executive agency positions that are of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character, and that are not normally subject to change as a result of a presidential transition, under a new Schedule F in the excepted service. The order was subsequently revoked by President Joe Biden.
The bill prohibits executive agency positions in the competitive service from being placed in the excepted service, unless such positions are placed in a schedule in the excepted service as in effect on September 30, 2020. The bill also prohibits positions in the excepted service from being placed in any schedule other than the aforementioned schedules.
Additionally, agencies may not (1) transfer occupied positions from the competitive or excepted service into Schedule C without the consent of the Office of Personnel Management, or (2) transfer employees in the excepted service to another schedule or transfer employees in the competitive service to the excepted service without employee consent.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 492
A BILL
Saving the Civil Service Act
Sponsor: Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA-11) · Introduced Jan 16, 2025 · Government Operations and Politics · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Sep 16, 2025: “ASSUMING FIRST SPONSORSHIP - Mr. Walkinshaw asked unanimous consent that he may hereafter be considered as the first sponsor of H.R. 492, a bill originally introduced by Representative Connolly, for the purpose of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII. Agreed to without objection.”