OPM has sent guidance to agencies on complying with a 2016 law targeting “burrowing in” of political appointees into career positions, including new reporting requirements and an expansion of OPM’s scrutiny of such hiring actions before they are finalized.
“OPM requires agencies to seek our approval prior to appointing any current or former political appointee to a permanent position (without time limits) in the civil service. A former or recent political appointee is someone who held a political appointment covered by OPM’s policy within the previous 5-year period,” a memo says.
OPM “previously excluded pre-appointment reviews of current or former political appointees selected to certain permanent appointments. Moving forward, OPM will review proposed selections of current or former political appointees to permanent positions involving noncompetitive and direct-hire appointments,” it says.
Attachments to the memo list the information agencies must provide when seeking OPM approval and after such persons actually are hired. The 2016 law requires OPM to report annually on such hiring, and quarterly during the last year of a presidential term.