I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3853 
To eliminate wasteful bureaucracies, modernize government operations, reduce 
regulatory overreach, and strengthen accountability and efficiency across 
the Federal workforce, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 9, 2025 
Mr. STEUBE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the 
Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined 
by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To eliminate wasteful bureaucracies, modernize government 
operations, reduce regulatory overreach, and strengthen 
accountability and efficiency across the Federal work-
force, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Federal Government 
Reform Act of 2025’’. 
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SEC. 2. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS. 
(a) ELIMINATION OF THE FEDERAL EXECUTIVE IN-
STITUTE.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Per-
sonnel Management shall permanently close the Federal 
Executive Institute located in Charlottesville, Virginia, 
and beginning on the date of such closure, no Federal 
funds may be obligated or expended for any activities of 
the Institute. 
(b) PROBATIONARY PERIOD.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, rule, or regulation, the first year of 
service of an employee who is given a career or ca-
reer-conditional appointment in the competitive serv-
ice under the Civil Service Regulations is a proba-
tionary period when the employee— 
(A) was appointed from a competitive list 
of eligibles; or 
(B) was reinstated (including reinstate-
ment from a Reinstatement Priority List), un-
less during any period of service that affords a 
current basis for reinstatement the employee 
completed a probationary period of at least 1 
year or served with competitive status under an 
appointment that did not require a proba-
tionary period; provided that the date of rein-
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statement begins a new 12-month probationary 
period if one is required under this subsection. 
(2) CERTIFICATION.—An individual shall not 
complete any probationary period under this sub-
section unless the employing agency certifies, within 
the 30-day period prior to the conclusion of period, 
that the continued employment of the individual is 
in the public interest. If such certification is not 
made, the employee shall be separated from the civil 
service. 
(3) NEW POSITION.—A person who is required 
to go through a probationary period and then is 
transferred, promoted, demoted, or reassigned in ac-
cordance with the Civil Service Regulations before he 
or she completes such period is required to complete 
the remainder of the probationary period in the new 
position. 
(4) USPS.—Upon noncompetitive appointment 
to the competitive service under title 39, United 
States Code, an employee of the Postal Career Serv-
ice (including a substitute or part-time flexible em-
ployee) who has not completed 1 year of Postal serv-
ice shall serve the remainder of a 1-year proba-
tionary period in the new agency. 
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(5) SPECIAL APPOINTING AUTHORITY OR CON-
VERSION.—A person who is appointed to the com-
petitive service either by a special appointing author-
ity or by conversion to a career or career-conditional 
appointment under the Civil Service Regulations 
must serve a 1-year probationary period unless spe-
cifically exempt from such period by the special ap-
pointing authority itself. 
(6) SUPERVISORS AND MANAGERS.—Employees 
promoted, transferred, or otherwise assigned, for the 
first time, to supervisory or managerial positions 
shall be required to serve a probationary period 
under terms and conditions prescribed by the Office 
of Personnel Management. If an employee is re-
quired to concurrently serve both a probationary pe-
riod in a supervisory or managerial position under 
subpart I of part 315 of title 5, Code of Federal 
Regulations, and a probationary or trial period fol-
lowing initial appointment or reinstatement under 
this Civil Service Rule, the latter takes precedence 
and fulfills the requirements of this paragraph. 
(c) REDUCING OVERCRIMINALIZATION IN FEDERAL 
REGULATIONS.— 
(1) AGENCY REPORTS TO OIRA.—Not later than 
one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
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the head of each agency shall submit to the Admin-
istrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs a report that— 
(A) identifies any regulation that imposes 
a criminal penalty without clear statutory au-
thority; and 
(B) makes recommendations about the re-
peal or revision of any such regulation. 
(2) RESTRICTION ON CRIMINAL PENALTIES IN 
REGULATIONS.—The head of an agency may not 
issue any regulation that includes a criminal penalty 
unless that same penalty or the specifics of that pen-
alty has been described in statute. 
(d) EFFICIENCY IN RULE PUBLICATION AND DIG-
ITAL MODERNIZATION.— 
(1) DIGITIZATION AND AUTOMATION OF SYS-
TEMS
REQUIRED.—The Archivist of the United 
States, acting through the Director of the Federal 
Register, shall digitize and automate internal proc-
esses to reduce publication delays and dependence on 
outdated systems. In this paragraph, the term ‘‘out-
dated system’’ means a system that another agency 
has demonstrated the ability to perform digital and 
automated services in a timely manner. 
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(2) BENCHMARKS.—Not later than 90 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Ar-
chivist of the United States, acting through the Di-
rector of the Federal Register, shall establish per-
formance benchmarks to ensure publication of any 
proposed or final rule within the applicable statutory 
deadline or within 24 hours after the date on which 
any such rule is received by the Director. 
(3) ANNUAL COMPLIANCE REPORT.—Not later 
than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, and annually thereafter, the Archivist of the 
United States, acting through the Director of the 
Federal Register, shall submit to Congress a report 
on compliance with this subsection that includes av-
erage processing times and modernization progress. 
SEC. 3. MODERNIZING PAYMENTS TO AND FROM THE 
TREASURY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Treasury 
shall develop and implement new technologies and part-
nerships to improve the speed, security, and transparency 
of payments made to and from the Treasury. 
(b) REQUIREMENTS.—The new technologies and 
partnerships developed and implemented under subsection 
(a) shall— 
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(1) reduce reliance on paper-based transactions 
and information technology systems created before 
the year 2000; and 
(2) provide secure digital payment infrastruc-
ture for persons, businesses, and agencies. 
SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION AND OVERSIGHT. 
(a) OVERSIGHT BY OMB.—The Director of the Of-
fice of Management and Budget shall oversee agency im-
plementation of this Act. 
(b) AGENCY COMPLIANCE UPDATES.—The head of 
each agency affected by this Act shall submit to the Direc-
tor of the Office of Management and Budget a quarterly 
update on any update, reform, and efficiency as a result 
of this Act. 
(c) IMPLEMENTATION
REPORT
REQUIRED.—Not 
later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget shall submit to Congress a comprehensive imple-
mentation report on each agency affected by the require-
ments of this Act. 
SEC. 5. AGENCY; RULE DEFINED. 
In this Act, the terms ‘‘agency’’ and ‘‘rule’’ have the 
meaning given those terms in section 551 of title 5, United 
States Code. 
Æ 
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