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S 1619 117th Congress Senate Government Operations and Politics Administrative law and regulatory procedures Congressional oversight Federal officials Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management Government ethics and transparency, public corruption Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents

Reduce Bureaucracy Act

Introduced: May 13, 2021 Introduced by: Ernst, Joni Republican · Iowa See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 117th Congress ended
It never became law before the 117th Congress (2021–2022) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
May 13, 2021
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
May 13, 2021
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Reduce Bureaucracy Act

This bill prohibits certain political appointees from serving in career positions in federal agencies.

Specifically, the bill prohibits current and former presidential appointees, cabinet officials, and other senior officials from serving in career-appointment (i.e., permanent) positions in executive agencies without the approval of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Agencies must certify that the appointment is necessary in order for the agency to meet its mission and the OPM must determine that the appointment process was fair, open, and free from political influence in order to approve a request. OPM must also transmit approved requests to specified congressional committees before issuing final approval to agencies.

The bill also prohibits political appointees from serving in career positions for two years after their departure, and directs the OPM and the Office of Management and Budget to take any actions necessary so as to limit the number of political appointees to 2,000.

What's happening now May 13, 2021

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 1619: Reduce Bureaucracy Act. 117th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/117-S-1619/
MLA
"S. 1619: Reduce Bureaucracy Act." 117th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/117-S-1619/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 1619, 117th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/117-S-1619/.
Markdown link
[S. 1619: Reduce Bureaucracy Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/117-S-1619/)
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