Expanding opportunities for employment in Executive agencies

(a) Definitions In this section: (1) Appropriate committees of Congress The term appropriate committees of Congress means— (A) the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; (B) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; (C) the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives; and (D) the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House of Representatives. (2) Director The term Director means the Director of the Office of Personnel Management. (3) Executive agency The term Executive agency has the meaning given the term in section 105 of title 5, United States Code. (4) Institution of higher education The term institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). (5) Junior or community college The term junior or community college has the meaning given the term in section 312(f) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058(f)). (6) Land-grant colleges and universities The term land-grant colleges and universities has the meaning given the term in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103). (7) Minority-serving institution The term minority-serving institution means an institution described in section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)). (8) Pathways Program The term Pathways Program means the program established under part 362 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor regulations. (b) OPM program To recruit students for employment with Executive agencies (1) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall establish a program under which the Office of Personnel Management shall enter into partnerships with institutions of higher education to recruit and appoint students to positions in Executive agencies. (2) Contents The program established under paragraph (1) shall be in such form and manner as the Director may prescribe, but, at a minimum, shall— (A) advise students on courses of study to prepare for careers at Executive agencies; (B) provide professional development workshops to students; (C) assist students in searching for positions in Executive agencies on the USAJobs.gov website; (D) provide training to students on preparing resumes for applying to positions in Executive agencies; (E) make an effort to recruit students from communities that are historically under-represented in Federal employment, as determined by the Director; and (F) provide training to students on how to be competitive when applying for positions in Executive agencies and the Pathways Program. (3) Coordination The Director shall coordinate with the heads of Executive agencies in carrying out the program established under paragraph (1), including by engaging in cost sharing with Executive agencies and in establishing Executive agency-specific partnerships with appropriate institutions of higher education. (4) Report Not later than 1 year after the date on which the Director establishes the program required under paragraph (1), and annually thereafter, the Director shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report regarding the program, each of which shall include, at a minimum, the following for the period covered by the report: (A) A description of the positions in which students were placed. (B) The institutions of higher education from which students were recruited. (C) The geographic location of positions in which students were placed. (5) Authorization of appropriations (A) In general There is authorized to be appropriated, for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030, $15,000,000 to carry out this subsection. (B) Requirement Of the amount appropriated to carry out this subsection for any fiscal year, not less than 30 percent of that amount shall be used for recruiting and appointing students from minority-serving institutions, junior or community colleges, and land-grant colleges and universities. (c) Intern hourly pay rate (1) In general Any individual who is an intern in an Executive agency, including each intern in a Federal internship program described in section 3111a of title 5, United States Code, shall be paid a stipend of, at a minimum, $15 for each hour that the individual is working as such an intern. (2) Adjustment (A) In general Effective January 30 of each year that begins after the date of enactment of this Act, the minimum hourly rate of pay under paragraph (1) shall be adjusted by the percent change in the price index on January 1 of such year over the price index on January 1 of the preceding year. (B) Definition In this paragraph, the term price index means the Consumer Price Index (all items—United States city average) published monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (d) OPM publication (1) In general Not later than January 30, 2026, and annually thereafter, the Director shall publish, on the public website of the Office of Personnel Management, demographic information on interns in Executive agencies, individuals participating in the Pathways Program, and students participating in the program established under subsection (b). (2) Requirements Information required under paragraph (1) shall include, with respect to each individual described in that paragraph, at a minimum, and to the extent applicable, demographic information regarding the race and age of the individual, the type of position occupied by the individual, where the position occupied by the individual is located in the civil service, and the number of hours worked by the individual. (3) Limitation The Director may not publish any information under this subsection that reveals the personally identifiable information of any individual. (e) Conversion of interns Any intern in an Executive agency who is not participating in the Pathways Program may, subject to such regulations as the Director may prescribe, be eligible for noncompetitive conversion to the competitive service in the same manner, to the greatest extent practicable, as Pathways Program participants under section 362.107 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation. (f) Budgetary effects The budgetary effects of this title, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go-Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.