Implementing Schedule Policy/Career in the Excepted Service

What it does

• •Creates and implements Schedule Policy/Career, a new category within the federal excepted service for policy-influencing positions that are filled on merit but exempt from standard adverse action procedures for removal.
• •Transfers specified senior policy-influencing positions into Schedule Policy/Career, requiring agency heads to notify affected employees within 7 days and to petition the Office of Personnel Management for placement of additional qualifying positions.
• •Amends civil service rules to allow Schedule Policy/Career employees to be removed for poor performance or misconduct without the procedural protections normally required for competitive service employees.
• •Directs federal agencies to establish separate bonus pools and awards for Schedule Policy/Career employees and requires OPM to create a Presidential award program for such employees.

Why it matters

• •The order asserts that current adverse action procedures make it difficult for supervisors to remove underperforming employees or those engaged in misconduct, and that exempt status will increase accountability of policy-influencing positions to the elected President.
• •Schedule Policy/Career positions retain merit-based hiring and veteran preference requirements while removing job security protections, establishing a framework for easier removal of executive branch staff without changing appointment standards.

Who is affected

• •Federal employees in confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, and policy-advocating roles across executive departments and agencies who are transferred to Schedule Policy/Career.
• •The Office of Personnel Management, which must issue revised civil service rules within 60 days and initiate rulemaking to establish a Presidential award program.
• •Federal agency heads, who must petition OPM for placement of additional positions and establish bonus pools for Schedule Policy/Career employees.

What happens next

Agencies must notify affected employees of their Schedule Policy/Career placement within 7 days and update their records; OPM must issue civil service rule revisions within 60 days and initiate rulemaking for a Presidential award program.