REFORM OF THE COMPETITIVE SERVICE HIRING PROCESS.

SEC. 1312. REFORM OF THE COMPETITIVE SERVICE HIRING PROCESS. (a) In General.—Chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code, is amended— (1) in section 3304(a)— (A) in paragraph (1), by striking “and” after the semicolon; (B) in paragraph (2), by striking the period and inserting “; and”; and (C) by adding at the end of the following: “(3) authority for agencies to appoint, without regard to the provision of sections 3309 through 3318, candidates directly to positions for which— “(A) public notice has been given; and “(B) the Office of Personnel Management has determined that there exists a severe shortage of candidates or there is a critical hiring need. The Office shall prescribe, by regulation, criteria for identifying such positions and may delegate authority to make determinations under such criteria.”; and (2) by inserting after section 3318 the following: “§ 3319. Alternative ranking and selection procedures “(a) The Office, in exercising its authority under section 3304, or an agency to which the Office has delegated examining authority under section 1104(a)(2), may establish category rating systems for evaluating applicants for positions in the competitive service, under 2 or more quality categories based on merit consistent with regulations prescribed by the Office of Personnel Management, rather than assigned individual numerical ratings. “(b) Within each quality category established under subsection (a), preference-eligibles shall be listed ahead of individuals who are not preference eligibles. For other than scientific and professional positions at GS-9 of the General Schedule (equivalent or higher), qualified preference-eligibles who have a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more shall be listed in the highest quality category. 116 STAT. 2291 “(c)(1) An appointing official may select any applicant in the highest quality category or, if fewer than 3 candidates have been assigned to the highest quality category, in a merged category consisting of the highest and the second highest quality categories. “(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the appointing official may not pass over a preference-eligible in the same category from which selection is made, unless the requirements of section 3317(b) or 3318(b), as applicable, are satisfied. “(d) Each agency that establishes a category rating system under this section shall submit in each of the 3 years following that establishment, a report to Congress on that system including information on— “(1) the number of employees hired under that system; “(2) the impact that system has had on the hiring of veterans and minorities, including those who are American Indian or Alaska Natives, Asian, Black or African American, and native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders; and “(3) the way in which managers were trained in the administration of that system. “(e) The Office of Personnel Management may prescribe such regulations as it considers necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.”. (b) Technical and Conforming Amendment.—The table of sections for chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by striking the item relating to section 3319 and inserting the following: “3319. Alternative ranking and selection procedures.”.