Expanding Federal Job Opportunities For Arizonans, Sinema Introduces Bipartisan Change to Compete Act

Statement

Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema introduced the bipartisan Chance to Compete Act with Republican Senators Bill Hagerty (Tenn.) and James Lankford (Okla.) to make federal job hiring fairer for Arizonans by reducing traditional bureaucratic barriers that limit opportunities for federal job seekers.

"We're making federal hiring more efficient and the federal government more effective by removing barriers and expanding opportunities for skilled Arizonans who have the knowledge and experience to work in the federal government, even if they don't have a traditional college degree," said Senator Sinema, Chair of the Senate's Government Operations Subcommittee.

"For too long, the federal government's hiring priorities have focused on college degrees and institutions instead of if the individual is actually qualified," Senator Hagerty said. "Federal workers should be hired based on skills, not just if they have a degree. I'm pleased to have Senator Sinema's partnership as we seek to modernize our federal workforce, which taxpayers depend on."

Sinema's bipartisan legislation helps eliminate long-time challenges that often prevent skilled workers from getting federal jobs. Instead of relying on subjective self-evaluations, key-word search resume reviews, and binary credentials for positions, federal agencies will be required to use actual job evaluations and tests to determine if applicants can do the job. Sinema's bipartisan Chance to Compete Act expands job opportunities and possibilities for Arizonans who have the ability and skill to perform these jobs but might not have traditional requirements such as a college degree.

The bill also allows agencies to more easily share information about job candidates when they are working to fill similar positions. This will decrease time to hire for all applicants, making the federal hiring process more efficient and effective. The bill also takes steps to increase federal hiring transparency and improve federal Human Resource Departments.

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