James Comer is Chairman of the House Oversight Committee. | https://oversight.house.gov/chairman-james-comer/
The House of Representatives has approved two bills from the Oversight and Government Reform Committee aimed at increasing transparency in government rulemaking and promoting skills-based hiring for federal contracts. The legislation is designed to make critical information used in agency decisions more accessible to the public and reduce reliance on degree requirements that may limit opportunities for qualified workers.
According to Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, "Americans have been calling for the federal government to be more transparent about its policies and processes and more efficient in the way it hires contractors and carries out projects, and they deserve greater access to information and more merit-based opportunities than the federal government currently provides. By passing these bills, the House took an important step toward holding federal agencies accountable for basing their rules and guidance on the best reasonably available information while also opening the door for qualified workers to compete for federal contracts without being blocked by unnecessary degree requirements. I applaud Rep. Lisa McClain and Rep. Nancy Mace for bringing more transparency to the government and I urge the Senate to follow the House’s lead and pass these bills."
The first bill, H.R. 6329—known as the Information Quality Assurance Act (IQAA) of 2025—was introduced by Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.). This measure requires that influential information or evidence used by agencies when creating new rules must be based on what is considered the best reasonably available data. Agencies are required to include key supporting factual information in their administrative records when introducing new rules or guidance documents, make this data publicly accessible as open government data assets, and cite all sources used during development.
Rep. McClain stated, "Washington bureaucrats shouldn’t be allowed to gamble with American jobs and family budgets using bad data. For too long, agencies have pushed billion-dollar regulations behind closed doors with little accountability. This bill shines a light on the process and puts the American people back in charge."
The second bill passed was H.R. 5235—the Skills-Based Federal Contracting Act—introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) along with Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.). The act prohibits agencies from imposing minimum education or experience requirements for contractor personnel unless those qualifications are essential for meeting agency needs. If such requirements are included in a contract solicitation, a written justification must be provided.
Rep. Mace commented, "Sixty percent of Americans don’t have a four-year degree, yet seventy-five percent of job postings require one. This isn’t a skills gap. It’s a paper ceiling, and it’s shutting millions of qualified Americans out before they ever get a fair shot." She added, "Our bill puts the focus back on skills and merit. Taxpayers deserve the most capable person for the job, not just the one with the right diploma."
Both bills now move forward to consideration in the Senate.
