August 19, 2025
Ms. Mace (for herself and Ms. Brown) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
To amend title 5, United States Code, to limit the use of educational requirements or qualifications in evaluating candidates for certain cybersecurity positions in the competitive service, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Cybersecurity Hiring Modernization Act
.
Sec. 2. Educational requirements for competitive service cybersecurity positions
Section 3308 of title 5, United States Code, is amended—
(1)
by striking The Office of Personnel Management
and inserting (a) In general.—Consistent with subsection (b), the Office of Personnel Management
; and
(2)
by adding at the end the following:
(b) Education requirements for cybersecurity positions
(1) In general
With respect to any covered position—
(A)
an agency may prescribe a minimum educational requirement for employment in such a position only if a minimum education qualification is required by law to perform the duties of the position in the State or locality where the duties of the position are to be performed; and
(B)
an agency may consider education in determining a candidate’s satisfaction of any other minimum qualification only if the candidate’s education directly reflects the competencies necessary to satisfy that qualification and perform the duties of the position.
(2) Publication
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of the Cybersecurity Hiring Modernization Act and annually thereafter, the Office of Personnel Management shall publish on the Office’s website—
(A)
any changes made to minimum qualifications standards concerning education for covered positions; and
(B)
aggregate data indicating the level of educational attainment, sorted by position classification, of all accessions to covered positions.
(3) Covered position defined
In this subsection, the term
covered positionmeans—(A)
any position in the competitive service classified under the GS–2210 information technology management series, or any successor series; and
(B)
any other position in the competitive service designated as
cybersecurityunder the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Cybersecurity Workforce Framework (NIST Special Publication 800–181), or successor framework.