TALENTS Act

Increased Career Opportunities: The program establishes the Presidential Management Fellows Program to attract outstanding individuals from various academic disciplines to the Federal service (Section 3(a)).

Guaranteed Position Growth: The Director must ensure that the number of Fellow positions during fiscal years 2026 through 2031 is equal to 200 percent of the number of positions in the fiscal year preceding the Act's enactment (Section 3(b)(1)(B)).

Professional Development: Fellows are provided with individual development plans, formal interactive training of not fewer than 80 hours per year, and mandatory rotational assignments (Section 6(a), 6(b)(2), and 6(b)(4)).

Career Path to Permanent Roles: Upon successful certification of the program, Fellows are eligible for conversion to a term or permanent position in the competitive service (Section 6(d)(2)(B) and Section 10(b)).

Mentorship Access: Each agency is required to assign a mentor to a Fellow, who must be a managerial employee outside of the Fellow's chain of command (Section 6(b)(3)).

Strict Eligibility Requirements: Individuals must have obtained an advanced degree from a qualifying educational institution not more than 2 years before the announcement (Section 4(b)(1)(A)).

Limited Work Schedules: While part-time requests can be made, a Fellow is not entitled to the approval of a part-time work schedule (Section 5(e)(2)).

Risk of Unsuccessful Certification: If an Executive Resources Board does not certify a Fellow, that individual is not eligible for conversion to the competitive service (Section 6(d)(2)(C)).

Employment Expiration: An agency may remove a Fellow for reasons related to misconduct, poor performance, or suitability; otherwise, the appointment ends at the end of the 2-year period unless extended or converted (Section 9(a)).

Restrictions on Re-entry: If a Fellow withdraws from the Program for reasons related to misconduct, poor performance, or suitability, they may not be readmitted to the Program at any time (Section 8(b)(1)).