The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, chaired by James Comer (R-Ky.), has scheduled a full committee markup for Tuesday, December 2 at 10:00am ET. The session will consider several bills aimed at reforming procedures in the federal workforce and increasing transparency and accountability in federal agencies and the District of Columbia.
Chairman Comer stated, "The American people deserve a productive federal government that provides transparency and accountability across all agencies, processes, and procedures. The House Oversight Committee is dedicated to ensuring that Americans’ voices are not diluted and that they can be employed in the federal workforce without undue burdens and other hinderances. Working in tandem with President Trump’s mission to reform the federal government, the Committee will do its part to examine the efficiency of agencies’ operations and remove any barriers that prevent Americans from fully participating in them."
Legislation under consideration includes:
- H.R. 151, Equal Representation Act: This bill would add a citizenship question to the decennial census starting in 2030 and exclude noncitizens from the apportionment base used for congressional representation.
- H.R. 5750, Ensuring a Qualified Civil Service Act (EQUALS) Act of 2025: It establishes probationary periods for new federal employees—one year for preference eligible positions such as veterans or widows after training or licensing is completed, two years for others—with employment termination unless certified by agency heads.
- H.R. 5749, Official Time Reporting Act: Federal agencies would be required to report annually on their use of “official time” for union activities to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which would publish detailed reports including justifications for increases and associated costs.
- H.R. 5810, Federal Supervisor Education Act of 2025: Agencies would be mandated to improve supervisor training programs focused on performance goals aligned with missions, mentorships, disciplinary options, recruitment practices, employee rights education, and mandatory refresher training every three years.
- Federal Relocation Payment Improvement Act: This bill authorizes lump-sum relocation payments for federal employees instead of reimbursement based on actual expenses.
- Information Quality Assurance Act (IQAA): Agencies would need to ensure information supporting new rules or guidance is based on best available evidence; critical information must be made publicly accessible as open data assets.
- H.R. 3766: Prohibits D.C. courts or administrative tribunals from deferring to interpretations by the D.C. Mayor or agencies when reviewing statutes or regulations—a measure reflecting standards recently set by the Supreme Court.
- H.R. 5457, Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets (SAMOSA) Act: Agencies must update software inventories and create plans to reduce duplicative licenses.
- H.R. 5235, Skills-Based Federal Contracting Act: Federal contract solicitations cannot require minimum education or experience unless justified; encourages alternatives such as skills-based hiring criteria with oversight from OMB and evaluation by GAO within three years.
- H.R. 5578, Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2025: Extends whistleblower protections against reprisal to contractors working with defense, civilian or intelligence contracts—including subcontractors—and requires disciplinary actions against officials who retaliate against protected individuals; prohibits waivers of these protections.
- H.R. 143, Unauthorized Spending Accountability (USA) Act: Phases out unauthorized programs through staged budget reductions over three years before termination if not reauthorized.
The markup will take place at HVC-210 in the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center and will be open to both public attendance and media coverage via livestream at https://oversight.house.gov/.
