Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Return USA Act”.
Return USA Act
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.
Sec. 2 Purpose; findings
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.
Findings— Congress finds as follows:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Many parents, primarily women, leave the workforce when they have young children or aging loved ones and struggle to re-enter.
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.
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.
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.
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
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—
target Federal civilian workforce needs; and
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.
Requirements— The Program shall—
draw upon best practices from existing State and private sector returnship programs to inform the structure, supports, and implementation of the Program;
provide onboarding, training, mentorship, and professional and leadership development opportunities to support and foster a Federal leadership trajectory for participants;
create cohorts of current and former Program participants to foster community and support systems;
last no less than one year in duration for each participant; and
prioritize providing opportunities for underrepresented populations and, to the extent available, provide wraparound supports, including child care.
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.
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.
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—
the number of Program participants and the aggregate demographic representation of Program participants;
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;
opportunities to expand the returnship Programs into additional Federal agencies or departments; and
impact of the Program on the strength and diversity of the Federal workforce.
Duration—
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—
determine whether the Program was successful in hiring and retaining qualified candidates; and
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.
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.
Definitions— In this Act—
the term “civil service” has the meaning given that term in section 2101 of title 5, United States Code;
the term “competitive service” has the meaning given that term in section 2102 of such title 5;
the term “Director” means the Director of the Office of Personnel Management;
the term “Program” means the Return USA Program established under this Act; and
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.
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).