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Congress·In Committee·H.R. 8987

Foreign Service Workforce Retention Act

Foreign Service: Re-hiring Retired and Former Employees

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs for review. It is considered active, but no further hearings or votes have been scheduled at this time. There is no companion bill currently linked to this legislation.

Legislative Progress

House
Senate
President
Law
Unlikely to pass

Most bills like this do not move forward without a large group of supporters from both parties and this bill currently only has Democratic sponsors.

Key Points

  • This bill changes how the State Department brings back experienced workers who have retired or left their jobs. It allows these former employees to return to the Foreign Service more easily within five years of leaving.
  • If a former worker is approved to come back, the government must finish their paperwork within 180 days. This ensures that skilled people can get back to work quickly instead of waiting through a long hiring process.
  • Returning employees will be placed back into the normal job rotation with full standing. This helps the government fill important roles overseas with people who already know how the system works and have the right training.
  • The State Department will be required to give Congress a yearly report on this program. The report must list how many people were re-hired and what levels of seniority they held before and after returning.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
May 21, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

May 21, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.

News

No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Foreign Service Workforce Retention Act

Bill NumberHR 8987
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)
D: 1

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.