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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9953 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9953

  To establish a Federal returnship program to strengthen the Federal 
 workforce and to ease re-entry into the workforce for individuals who 
        have taken time away from work, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 8, 2024

 Ms. Wexton (for herself, Ms. Norton, Ms. Lois Frankel of Florida, Ms. 
 McClellan, Mr. Raskin, and Mr. Trone) introduced the following bill; 
  which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To establish a Federal returnship program to strengthen the Federal 
 workforce and to ease re-entry into the workforce for individuals who 
        have taken time away from work, 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 ``Return USA Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE; FINDINGS.

    (a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to establish a pilot 
returnship program for Federal civilian employment to expand 
opportunities in the Federal civilian service for experienced, highly 
qualified mid-career professionals who are seeking to return to the 
workforce after a career break.
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds as follows:
            (1) To best represent and serve communities across the 
        United States, it is critical that the Federal Government is 
        able to attract and retain the best and brightest to its 
        workforce.
            (2) According to the 2022 Federal Workforce Priorities 
        Report, the Office of Personnel Management has identified 
        several key areas for workforce development to ensure the 
        highly skilled and specialized Federal workforce can meet 
        emerging needs.
            (3) Returnship programs, which help highly qualified, 
        highly skilled mid-career professionals to re-enter the 
        workforce after a career break, are utilized at over one-third 
        of Fortune 50 companies to help meet workforce needs, according 
        to an analysis by iRelaunch as of 2023.
            (4) In April 2021, the State of Utah founded the first 
        public returnship program in the United States (Return Utah) to 
        meet workforce needs for mid-level State government positions.
            (5) Returnship programs are often used to strengthen 
        opportunities for underrepresented populations, including women 
        who only represent 45 percent of the Federal workforce at large 
        and 40 percent of senior executive positions, according to the 
        Office of Personnel Management.
            (6) Many parents, primarily women, leave the workforce when 
        they have young children or aging loved ones and struggle to 
        re-enter.
            (7) According to data from the career platform LinkedIn, 
        approximately 43 percent more women list a career break on 
        their profile than men, and the most commonly cited reason for 
        taking a career break was child care.
            (8) The ``motherhood penalty'', the loss of income, 
        difficulty re-entering the workforce, and slower career 
        progression faced by mothers in the workforce, can have a 
        devastating impact on women and the workforce and economy at 
        large.
            (9) Following the birth of their first child, on average, 
        nearly 25 percent of women will leave the workforce in the 
        first year, and 17 percent will remain out of the workforce 
        after 5 years.
            (10) Some experts estimate that the ``motherhood penalty'' 
        is now the top driver of the gender pay gap, as mothers 
        experience a 60 percent reduction in earnings in the decade 
        following the birth of their first child compared to fathers.

SEC. 3. RETURN USA PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Director of the Office of Personnel Management 
shall establish a Federal returnship pilot program at one or more 
Federal agency. Such programs shall be known and designated as the 
``Return USA Program''. The Program shall--
            (1) target Federal civilian workforce needs; and
            (2) assist professionals with at least 3 years of prior 
        work experience to re-enter the workforce, in civil service 
        positions that are above entry-level and commensurate with 
        their skills and experience, after a career break of at least 1 
        year that was unrelated to work performance or solely for the 
        pursuit of additional educational degrees, including a break 
        due to child or elder care, time after military service or 
        while a spouse was serving in the military service, or personal 
        health concerns.
    (b) Requirements.--The Program shall--
            (1) draw upon best practices from existing State and 
        private sector returnship programs to inform the structure, 
        supports, and implementation of the Program;
            (2) provide onboarding, training, mentorship, and 
        professional and leadership development opportunities to 
        support and foster a Federal leadership trajectory for 
        participants;
            (3) create cohorts of current and former Program 
        participants to foster community and support systems;
            (4) last no less than one year in duration for each 
        participant; and
            (5) prioritize providing opportunities for underrepresented 
        populations and, to the extent available, provide wraparound 
        supports, including child care.
    (c) Recruitment.--The Director shall work with relevant public and 
private partners to recruit prospective applicants, including creating 
a unique Program hiring path on the website USAjobs.gov.
    (d) Conversion.--The Director may convert any participant who 
successfully completes the Program, as determined by the Director, to a 
permanent appointment in the competitive service without further 
competition.
    (e) Reports to Congress.--At the end of each of fiscal years 2025 
through 2029, the Director shall submit a report on the Program to the 
Committee on Oversight and Accountability of the House of 
Representatives, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
Affairs of the Senate, and the Committees on Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives and the Senate. Each such report shall include 
an overall description of the status of the Program and key success 
metrics, including--
            (1) the number of Program participants and the aggregate 
        demographic representation of Program participants;
            (2) the number of Program participants retained in 
        permanent, full-time positions following completion of the 
        Program, participant's GS-level following completion, and 
        agency assignment, and the aggregate demographic representation 
        of Program participants retained and not retained in permanent, 
        full-time positions;
            (3) opportunities to expand the returnship Programs into 
        additional Federal agencies or departments; and
            (4) impact of the Program on the strength and diversity of 
        the Federal workforce.
    (f) Duration.--
            (1) In general.--The Program shall operate for a period of 
        three years beginning on the date the Director established the 
        Program under subsection (a). At the end of such period, the 
        Director shall--
                    (A) determine whether the Program was successful in 
                hiring and retaining qualified candidates; and
                    (B) submit a report on such determination to the 
                Committee on Oversight and Accountability of the House 
                of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland 
                Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate.
            (2) Application.--If the Director determines under 
        paragraph (1)(A) that the Program was successful, the Director 
        shall continue to carry out the Program. The Program shall be 
        terminated on the date of such determination if the Director 
        determines that the Program was not successful.
    (g) Definitions.--In this Act--
            (1) the term ``civil service'' has the meaning given that 
        term in section 2101 of title 5, United States Code;
            (2) the term ``competitive service'' has the meaning given 
        that term in section 2102 of such title 5;
            (3) the term ``Director'' means the Director of the Office 
        of Personnel Management;
            (4) the term ``Program'' means the Return USA Program 
        established under this Act; and
            (5) the term ``underrepresented populations'' means groups 
        who have traditionally not had equal access to economic 
        opportunities because of discrimination or other societal 
        barriers and could include gender, race, ethnicity, disability, 
        or low-income status.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $5,000,000 for each fiscal year, beginning with fiscal 
year 2025, the Program is carried out consistent with the determination 
under subsection (f)(1).
                                 <all>
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