This bill protects federal employees by making it much harder for the government to change their job classifications in ways that would reduce their protections. Here's what that means in practical terms: federal jobs are divided into two main categories. Competitive service jobs require competitive exams to get hired and come with strong protections—if you're fired or disciplined, you get notice and a chance to appeal. Excepted service jobs don't have these same protections and are easier for agencies to change or eliminate.

The bill was created in response to a 2020 executive order that tried to move many federal positions into a new category called Schedule F, which would have stripped away employee protections for thousands of workers. Even though that order was later reversed, this bill makes sure it can't happen again. Specifically, it prevents agencies from moving competitive service jobs into the excepted service (where protections are weaker) unless those jobs were already in the excepted service before September 30, 2020. It also requires employee consent before moving someone between different job categories, and it prevents agencies from secretly reclassifying jobs to avoid these rules.

In short, this bill protects federal workers by locking in their current job classifications and the protections that come with them. It means your job category can't be changed without following specific rules and, in many cases, without your permission. This affects roughly 2 million federal employees who work in competitive service positions across all government agencies.

Saving the Civil Service Act

Rep. Connolly, Gerald E. [D-VA-11]

Saving the Civil Service ActThis bill generally prohibits changes to the classification of positions in the competitive service and excepted service unless certain conditions are met.&nbsp;(Competitive service positions are subject to competitive examination&nbsp;while excepted service positions&nbsp;are appointed under one of five schedules.&nbsp;Competitive service positions have notice and appeal requirements for adverse actions that are not applicable to most excepted positions, including those of a&nbsp;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.&nbsp;