119-hr3853

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3853 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

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119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 3853

 To eliminate wasteful bureaucracies, modernize government operations, 
 reduce regulatory overreach, and strengthen accountability and 
 efficiency across the Federal workforce, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 June 9, 2025

 Mr. Steube introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the 
Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined 
 by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as 
 fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To eliminate wasteful bureaucracies, modernize government operations, 
 reduce regulatory overreach, and strengthen accountability and 
 efficiency across the Federal workforce, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Government Reform Act of 
2025''.

SEC. 2. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS.

    (a) Elimination of the Federal Executive Institute.--Not later than 
90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of 
the Office of Personnel Management shall permanently close the Federal 
Executive Institute located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and beginning 
on the date of such closure, no Federal funds may be obligated or 
expended for any activities of the Institute.

    (b) Probationary Period.--

    (1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
 law, rule, or regulation, the first year of service of an 
 employee who is given a career or career-conditional 
 appointment in the competitive service under the Civil Service 
 Regulations is a probationary period when the employee--
        (A) was appointed from a competitive list of 
 eligibles; or
        (B) was reinstated (including reinstatement from a 
 Reinstatement Priority List), unless during any period 
 of service that affords a current basis for 
 reinstatement the employee completed a probationary 
 period of at least 1 year or served with competitive 
 status under an appointment that did not require a 
 probationary period; provided that the date of 
 reinstatement begins a new 12-month probationary period 
 if one is required under this subsection.

    (2) Certification.--An individual shall not complete any 
 probationary period under this subsection unless the employing 
 agency certifies, within the 30-day period prior to the 
 conclusion of period, that the continued employment of the 
 individual is in the public interest. If such certification is 
 not made, the employee shall be separated from the civil 
 service.

    (3) New position.--A person who is required to go through a 
 probationary period and then is transferred, promoted, demoted, 
 or reassigned in accordance with the Civil Service Regulations 
 before he or she completes such period is required to complete 
 the remainder of the probationary period in the new position.

    (4) USPS.--Upon noncompetitive appointment to the 
 competitive service under title 39, United States Code, an 
 employee of the Postal Career Service (including a substitute 
 or part-time flexible employee) who has not completed 1 year of 
 Postal service shall serve the remainder of a 1-year 
 probationary period in the new agency.

    (5) Special appointing authority or conversion.--A person 
 who is appointed to the competitive service either by a special 
 appointing authority or by conversion to a career or career-
 conditional appointment under the Civil Service Regulations 
 must serve a 1-year probationary period unless specifically 
 exempt from such period by the special appointing authority 
 itself.

    (6) Supervisors and managers.--Employees promoted, 
 transferred, or otherwise assigned, for the first time, to 
 supervisory or managerial positions shall be required to serve 
 a probationary period under terms and conditions prescribed by 
 the Office of Personnel Management. If an employee is required 
 to concurrently serve both a probationary period in a 
 supervisory or managerial position under subpart I of part 315 
 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, and a probationary or 
 trial period following initial appointment or reinstatement 
 under this Civil Service Rule, the latter takes precedence and 
 fulfills the requirements of this paragraph.
            (c) Reducing Overcriminalization in Federal Regulations.--

    (1) Agency reports to oira.--Not later than one year after 
 the date of the enactment of this Act, the head of each agency 
 shall submit to the Administrator of the Office of Information 
 and Regulatory Affairs a report that--
        (A) identifies any regulation that imposes a 
 criminal penalty without clear statutory authority; and
        (B) makes recommendations about the repeal or 
 revision of any such regulation.

    (2) Restriction on criminal penalties in regulations.--The 
 head of an agency may not issue any regulation that includes a 
 criminal penalty unless that same penalty or the specifics of 
 that penalty has been described in statute.
            (d) Efficiency in Rule Publication and Digital Modernization.--

    (1) Digitization and automation of systems required.--The 
 Archivist of the United States, acting through the Director of 
 the Federal Register, shall digitize and automate internal 
 processes to reduce publication delays and dependence on 
 outdated systems. In this paragraph, the term ``outdated 
 system'' means a system that another agency has demonstrated 
 the ability to perform digital and automated services in a 
 timely manner.

    (2) Benchmarks.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
 the enactment of this Act, the Archivist of the United States, 
 acting through the Director of the Federal Register, shall 
 establish performance benchmarks to ensure publication of any 
 proposed or final rule within the applicable statutory deadline 
 or within 24 hours after the date on which any such rule is 
 received by the Director.

    (3) Annual compliance report.--Not later than one year 
 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually 
 thereafter, the Archivist of the United States, acting through 
 the Director of the Federal Register, shall submit to Congress 
 a report on compliance with this subsection that includes 
 average processing times and modernization progress.

SEC. 3. MODERNIZING PAYMENTS TO AND FROM THE TREASURY.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall develop and 
implement new technologies and partnerships to improve the speed, 
security, and transparency of payments made to and from the Treasury.

    (b) Requirements.--The new technologies and partnerships developed 
and implemented under subsection

    (a) shall--

    (1) reduce reliance on paper-based transactions and 
 information technology systems created before the year 2000; 
 and

    (2) provide secure digital payment infrastructure for 
 persons, businesses, and agencies.

SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION AND OVERSIGHT.

    (a) Oversight by OMB.--The Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget shall oversee agency implementation of this Act.

    (b) Agency Compliance Updates.--The head of each agency affected by 
this Act shall submit to the Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget a quarterly update on any update, reform, and efficiency as a 
result of this Act.
            (c) Implementation Report Required.--Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget shall submit to Congress a comprehensive 
implementation report on each agency affected by the requirements of 
this Act.

SEC. 5. AGENCY; RULE DEFINED.

 In this Act, the terms ``agency'' and ``rule'' have the meaning 
given those terms in 

section 551 of title 5, United States Code.
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