Summary

Limits how long outside experts may serve as special Government employees (SGEs) in the executive branch to 130 days in any 365-day period, requires agencies to reclassify and provide notice if that limit is exceeded, and directs the Office of Personnel Management (with the Office of Government Ethics) to build and maintain a public, searchable database of certain SGEs and to publish many of their financial disclosure reports. Agencies must notify OPM of covered SGE appointments and terminations, post disclosures filed after enactment, and OPM must audit agency compliance and report to Congress within three years.

Key Points

• Caps special Government employee service at 130 days during any 365-day period for covered SGEs.
• Requires agencies to reclassify employees who exceed the cap and to provide written notice and appeal rights within 30 days after SGE status ends.
• OPM, consulting with OGE, must create a public, searchable database of covered SGEs within 210 days of enactment.
• Agencies must notify OPM of covered SGE appointments and terminations within 30 days and periodically review database entries.
• Agencies must publicly post financial disclosure reports filed by covered SGEs after enactment, with narrow statutory exceptions.
• OPM must audit agency submission procedures and report to Congress within three years on compliance and data quality.
• Definition of "covered" SGEs narrows which SGEs are listed: excludes advisory committee members, students, and those below GS-11 comparability.
• Counting rules treat short non-administrative work and days with minimal administrative activity differently for the 130-day cap.
• No explicit appropriations are included; implementation may create administrative workload for agencies and OPM/OGE.
• The law increases transparency of certain outside experts while triggering potential reclassification into standard federal employment frameworks.

Categories & Tags