II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 285 

To provide for the perpetuation, administration, and funding of Federal 

Executive Boards, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 7, 2023 

Mr. PETERS (for himself, Mr. CORNYN, and Mr. PADILLA) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

A BILL 

To provide for the perpetuation, administration, and funding 

of Federal Executive Boards, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Improving Government 

5 Efficiency and Workforce Development through Federal 

6 Executive Boards Act of 2023’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FEDERAL EXECUTIVE BOARDS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 11 of title 5, United 

9 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol10 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘§ 1106. Federal Executive Boards 

2 ‘‘(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are 

3 to— 

4 ‘‘(1) strengthen the strategic coordination, com5 munication, and management of Government activi6 ties across the United States, including to improve 

7 the experience of citizens interacting with agencies, 

8 and to incorporate field perspectives into the prepa9 ration of Federal workforce policy goals; 

10 ‘‘(2) facilitate interagency collaboration to im11 prove the efficiency and effectiveness of Federal pro12 grams and initiatives; 

13 ‘‘(3) facilitate communication and collaboration 

14 on Federal emergency preparedness and continuity 

15 of operations for the Federal workforce in applicable 

16 geographic areas; 

17 ‘‘(4) facilitate strategies and programs for re18 cruiting, training, managing, and retaining Federal 

19 employees, as well as sharing best practices for im20 proving the workforce experience and access to edu21 cation and training; 

22 ‘‘(5) facilitate relationships with State and local 

23 governments, colleges and universities, and local 

24 nonprofit organizations that collaborate with the 

25 Federal Government; and 


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1 ‘‘(6) provide stable funding for Federal Execu2 tive Boards to enable the activities described in 

3 paragraphs (1) through (5). 

4 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

5 ‘‘(1) AGENCY.—The term ‘agency’— 

6 ‘‘(A) means an Executive agency, as de7 fined in section 105; and 

8 ‘‘(B) does not include the Government Ac9 countability Office. 

10 ‘‘(2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Director’ means 

11 the Director of the Office of Personnel Management. 

12 ‘‘(3) FEDERAL EXECUTIVE BOARD.—The term 

13 ‘Federal Executive Board’ means an interagency en14 tity— 

15 ‘‘(A) established by the Director— 

16 ‘‘(i) in coordination with the Director 

17 of the Office of Management and Budget 

18 and the Administrator of General Services; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(ii) in consultation with the head21 quarters of appropriate agencies; 

22 ‘‘(B) located in a geographic area with a 

23 high concentration of Federal employees outside 

24 the Washington, DC, metropolitan area; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) focused on strengthening the manage2 ment and administration of agency activities 

3 and coordination among local Federal officers 

4 to implement national initiatives in that geo5 graphic area. 

6 ‘‘(4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 

7 The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the 

8 meaning given the term in section 101(a) of the 

9 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 

10 ‘‘(5) STATE APPRENTICESHIP AGENCY.—The 

11 term ‘State Apprenticeship Agency’ has the meaning 

12 given the term in section 29.2 of title 29, Code of 

13 Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation. 

14 ‘‘(c) PERPETUATION AND CONTINUED SUPPORT.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director, in coordina16 tion with the Director of the Office of Management 

17 and Budget and the Administrator of General Serv18 ices, shall continue to support the existence of Fed19 eral Executive Boards in geographic areas outside 

20 the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. 

21 ‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—Before establishing any 

22 new Federal Executive Boards that are not in exist23 ence on the date of enactment of this section, the 

24 Director shall conduct a review of existing Federal 

25 Executive Boards and consult with the headquarters 


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1 of appropriate agencies to guide the determination 

2 of the number and location of Federal Executive 

3 Boards. 

4 ‘‘(3) LOCATION.—The Director shall develop a 

5 set of criteria to establish and evaluate the number 

6 and locations of Federal Executive Boards that 

7 shall— 

8 ‘‘(A) factor in contemporary Federal work9 force data as of the date of enactment of this 

10 section; and 

11 ‘‘(B) be informed by the annual changes in 

12 workforce data, including the geographic dis13 bursement of the Federal workforce and the 

14 role of remote work options. 

15 ‘‘(4) MEMBERSHIP.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each Federal Execu17 tive Board for a geographic area shall consist of 

18 the most senior officer of each agency in that 

19 geographic area. 

20 ‘‘(B) ALTERNATE REPRESENTATIVE.—The 

21 senior officer of an agency described in sub22 paragraph (A) may designate, by title of office, 

23 an alternate representative, who shall— 

24 ‘‘(i) be a senior officer in the agency; 

25 and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) attend meetings and otherwise 

2 represent the agency on the Federal Exec3 utive Board in the absence of the most 

4 senior officer. 

5 ‘‘(d) ADMINISTRATION AND OVERSIGHT.—The Direc6 tor, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Man7 agement and Budget and the Administrator of General 

8 Services, shall administer and oversee Federal Executive 

9 Boards, including— 

10 ‘‘(1) establishing staffing and accountability 

11 policies, including performance standards, for em12 ployees responsible for administering Federal Execu13 tive Boards with an opportunity for employee cus14 tomer service feedback from agencies participating 

15 in Federal Executive Boards; 

16 ‘‘(2) establishing communications policies for 

17 the dissemination of information to agencies partici18 pating in Federal Executive Boards; and 

19 ‘‘(3) administering Federal Executive Board 

20 funding through the fund established in subsection 

21 (f). 

22 ‘‘(e) GOVERNANCE AND ACTIVITIES.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each Federal Executive 

24 Board shall— 


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1 ‘‘(A) subject to the approval of the Direc2 tor, adopt charters or other rules for the inter3 nal governance of the Federal Executive Board; 

4 ‘‘(B) elect a Chairperson from among the 

5 members of the Federal Executive Board, who 

6 shall serve for a set term; 

7 ‘‘(C) serve as an instrument of outreach 

8 relating to agency activities in the geographic 

9 area; 

10 ‘‘(D) provide a forum to amplify the ex11 change of information relating to programs and 

12 management methods and problems— 

13 ‘‘(i) between the national head14 quarters of agencies and the field; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) among field elements in geo16 graphic areas; 

17 ‘‘(E) develop local coordinated approaches 

18 to the development and operation of programs 

19 that have common characteristics or serve the 

20 same populations; 

21 ‘‘(F) communicate management initiatives 

22 and other concerns from Federal officers and 

23 employees in the Washington, DC, metropolitan 

24 area to Federal officers and employees in the 


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1 geographic area to achieve better mutual under2 standing and support; 

3 ‘‘(G) develop relationships with State and 

4 local governments, institutions of higher edu5 cation, and nongovernmental organizations to 

6 help fulfill the roles and responsibilities of the 

7 Federal Executive Board; 

8 ‘‘(H) in coordination with appropriate 

9 agencies and consistent with any relevant 

10 memoranda of understanding between the Of11 fice of Personnel Management and those agen12 cies, facilitate communication, collaboration, 

13 and training to prepare the Federal workforce 

14 for emergencies and continuity of operations; 

15 ‘‘(I) in coordination with appropriate agen16 cies, support agency efforts to place and recruit 

17 students in training opportunities, particularly 

18 apprenticeships and paid internships; 

19 ‘‘(J) consult with the Secretary of Labor 

20 or State Apprenticeship Agencies on the process 

21 for establishing registered apprenticeship pro22 grams within agencies, as appropriate; 

23 ‘‘(K) consult with State workforce develop24 ment boards and local workforce development 

25 boards as established in sections 101 and 107 


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1 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 

2 Act (29 U.S.C. 3111, 3122), respectively, as 

3 appropriate; 

4 ‘‘(L) as appropriate and in accordance 

5 with law, rules, and policies, lead cross-agency 

6 talent management initiatives— 

7 ‘‘(i) including interagency— 

8 ‘‘(I) recruitment and hiring ac9 tivities; 

10 ‘‘(II) internships and apprentice11 ships; 

12 ‘‘(III) onboarding and leadership 

13 and management development; and 

14 ‘‘(IV) mentorship programs; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) by prioritizing initiatives related 

16 to— 

17 ‘‘(I) conducting outreach to com18 munities of individuals with demo19 graphics that are underrepresented in 

20 a given occupation or agency; and 

21 ‘‘(II) addressing skills gaps with22 in the Federal Government related to 

23 high-risk areas as identified by the 

24 Government Accountability Office; 


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1 ‘‘(M) coordinate with the Transition As2 sistance Centers established to carry out the 

3 Transition Assistance Program of the Depart4 ment of Defense to help members of the Armed 

5 Forces who are transitioning to civilian life 

6 apply for Government positions in the geo7 graphic location of the Federal Executive 

8 Board; 

9 ‘‘(N) as appropriate, serve as a collabo10 rative space where employees from across agen11 cies can participate in innovation projects rel12 evant to Federal initiatives by applying human13 centered design, user-experience design, or 

14 other creativity methods; and 

15 ‘‘(O) take other actions as agreed to by the 

16 Federal Executive Board and the Director, in 

17 consultation with the Director of the Office of 

18 Management and Budget and the Adminis19 trator of General Services. 

20 ‘‘(2) COORDINATION OF CERTAIN ACTIVITIES.— 

21 The facilitation of communication, collaboration, and 

22 training described in paragraph (1)(H) shall, when 

23 appropriate, be coordinated and defined through 

24 written agreements entered into between the Direc25 tor and the heads of the applicable agencies. 


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1 ‘‘(3) NON-MONETARY DONATIONS.—Each Fed2 eral Executive Board may accept donations of sup3 plies, services, land, and equipment consistent with 

4 the purposes described in paragraphs (1) through 

5 (5) of subsection (a), including to assist in carrying 

6 out the activities described in paragraph (1) of this 

7 subsection. 

8 ‘‘(4) PROGRAMMATIC ASSESSMENTS.—Not less 

9 frequently than semi-annually or following each 

10 major programmatic activity, each Federal Executive 

11 Board shall assess the experience of participants or 

12 other relevant stakeholders in each program pro13 vided by the Federal Executive Board. 

14 ‘‘(f) FUNDING.— 

15 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT OF FUND.—The Direc16 tor, in coordination with the Director of the Office 

17 of Management and Budget and the Administrator 

18 of General Services, shall establish a Federal Execu19 tive Board Fund within the Office of Personnel 

20 Management for financing essential Federal Execu21 tive Board functions for the purposes of staffing and 

22 operating expenses. 

23 ‘‘(2) DEPOSITS.—There shall be deposited in 

24 the fund established under paragraph (1) amounts 

25 transferred to the fund pursuant to paragraph (3) 


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1 from each agency participating in Federal Executive 

2 Boards, according to a formula established by the 

3 Director— 

4 ‘‘(A) in consultation with the headquarters 

5 of those agencies; and 

6 ‘‘(B) in coordination with the Director of 

7 the Office of Management and Budget and the 

8 Administrator of General Services. 

9 ‘‘(3) CONTRIBUTIONS.— 

10 ‘‘(A) CONTRIBUTION TRANSFERS.—Subject 

11 to the formula for contributions established by 

12 the Director under paragraph (2), each agency 

13 participating in Federal Executive Boards shall 

14 transfer amounts to the fund established under 

15 paragraph (1). 

16 ‘‘(B) FORMULA.— 

17 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The formula for 

18 contributions established by the Director 

19 under paragraph (2) shall consider the 

20 number of employees in each agency in all 

21 geographic areas served by Federal Execu22 tive Boards. 

23 ‘‘(ii) RECALCULATION.—The contribu24 tion of the headquarters of each agency 

25 under clause (i) to the fund established 


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1 under paragraph (1) shall be recalculated 

2 not less frequently than every 2 years. 

3 ‘‘(C) IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS.—At the 

4 discretion of the Director, an agency may pro5 vide in-kind contributions instead of, or in addi6 tion to, providing monetary contributions to the 

7 fund established under paragraph (1). 

8 ‘‘(4) MINIMUM AMOUNT.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The fund established 

10 under paragraph (1) shall include a minimum 

11 of $15,000,000 in each fiscal year, to remain 

12 available until expended. 

13 ‘‘(B) ADJUSTMENT.—The Director shall 

14 adjust the amount required under subparagraph 

15 (A) every 2 years on a schedule aligned with 

16 the recalculation described in paragraph 

17 (3)(B)(ii) to reflect— 

18 ‘‘(i) the percentage increase, if any, in 

19 the Consumer Price Index for all Urban 

20 Consumers as determined by the Bureau of 

21 Labor Statistics; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) any changes in costs related to 

23 Federal pay changes authorized by the 

24 President or by an Act of Congress. 


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1 ‘‘(5) USE OF EXCESS AMOUNTS.—Any unobli2 gated and unexpended balances in the fund estab3 lished under paragraph (1) that the Director deter4 mines to be in excess of amounts needed for Federal 

5 Executive Board functions shall be allocated among 

6 the Federal Executive Boards for the activities de7 scribed in subsection (e) by the Director— 

8 ‘‘(A) in coordination with the Director of 

9 the Office of Management and Budget and the 

10 Administrator of General Services; and 

11 ‘‘(B) in consultation with the headquarters 

12 of agencies participating in Federal Executive 

13 Boards. 

14 ‘‘(6) ADMINISTRATIVE AND OVERSIGHT

15 COSTS.—The Office of Personnel Management shall 

16 pay for costs relating to administrative and oversight 

17 activities conducted under subsection (d) from ap18 propriations made available to the Office of Per19 sonnel Management. 

20 ‘‘(g) REPORTS.—The Director, in coordination with 

21 the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and 

22 the Administrator of General Services, shall submit bien23 nial reports to Congress and to agencies participating in 

24 Federal Executive Boards on the outcomes of and budget 

25 matters related to Federal Executive Boards. 


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1 ‘‘(h) REGULATIONS.—The Director, in coordination 

2 with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 

3 and the Administrator of General Services, shall prescribe 

4 regulations necessary to carry out this section.’’. 

5 (b) REPORT.— 

6 (1) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 

7 ‘‘Federal Executive Board’’ has the meaning given 

8 the term in section 1106(b) of title 5, United States 

9 Code, as added by subsection (a) of this section. 

10 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 

11 the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of 

12 the Office of Personnel Management, in coordination 

13 with the Director of the Office of Management and 

14 Budget and the Administrator of General Services, 

15 shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Secu16 rity and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the 

17 Committee on Oversight and Accountability of the 

18 House of Representatives a report that includes— 

19 (A) a description of essential Federal Ex20 ecutive Board functions; 

21 (B) details of staffing requirements for 

22 each Federal Executive Board; and 

23 (C) estimates of staffing and operating ex24 penses for each Federal Executive Board. 


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1 (c) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

2 The table of sections for chapter 11 of title 5, United 

3 States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relat4 ing to section 1105 the following: 

‘‘1106. Federal Executive Boards.’’. 

Æ 


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