The "Special Government Employees Transparency Act of 2025" aims to limit the use of special government employees to 130 days, create a public database of these employees, and increase transparency by releasing their financial disclosures.
Dave Min
Representative
CA-47
The "Special Government Employees Transparency Act of 2025" aims to limit the use of special Government employees to no more than 130 days per year. It mandates the creation of a public database containing information on these employees, including their names, positions, and pay rates. The Act also requires the public release of financial disclosures filed by these employees, promoting transparency and accountability.
Government 'Special Employees' Face 130-Day Limit, Public Database Under New Transparency Bill
This bill, the "Special Government Employees Transparency Act of 2025," introduces new rules for a specific category of federal workers known as Special Government Employees, or SGEs. These are often experts brought in for temporary assignments. The legislation sets a hard cap on their service time and mandates significantly more public disclosure about who they are and their financial interests.
Putting a Clock on Short-Term Experts
The biggest change is a 130-day limit. Under Section 2, anyone serving as an SGE for more than 130 days within any 365-day period can no longer hold that status. The clock is strict: any day involving more than an hour of admin tasks, any non-administrative work, or any day the government pays them counts as a full day. If an SGE hits the limit, their employing agency has 30 days to figure out a different, appropriate job classification for them, following standard federal hiring rules. This aims to prevent roles intended to be temporary from becoming quasi-permanent fixtures without the usual oversight.
Opening the Books: Names and Finances Go Public
Section 3 focuses on transparency. It directs the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to create a public, searchable online database within 210 days. This "SGE Database" will list key details for most SGEs: their name, job title, pay rate (if any), the agency they work for, and their start/end dates. Think of it as a public roster of temporary government advisors and experts. Agencies have to keep this data fresh, updating OPM within 30 days of any changes. Furthermore, the financial disclosure forms these SGEs file (which can reveal potential conflicts of interest) will also be made publicly available, with exceptions mainly for national security reasons or for SGEs not meeting the 'covered' definition.
What This Means in Practice
Essentially, this legislation aims to shed light on a part of the government workforce that's often less visible. By limiting service time and making information about SGEs public, the goal is increased accountability. For the public, it means easier access to information about who is advising federal agencies, potentially revealing connections or conflicts that weren't previously apparent. For agencies, it means more administrative work to track SGE days and report data accurately, ensuring these short-term roles stay truly short-term unless formally changed.