[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 93 (Monday, May 14, 2018)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 22343-22345]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-10403]



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Vol. 83

Monday,

No. 93

May 14, 2018

Part III





The President





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Executive Order 13832--Enhancing Noncompetitive Civil Service 
Appointments of Military Spouses
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  Federal Register / Vol. 83 , No. 93 / Monday, May 14, 2018 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

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                Executive Order 13832 of May 9, 2018

                
Enhancing Noncompetitive Civil Service 
                Appointments of Military Spouses

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, including section 1784 of title 10, United 
                States Code, and sections 3301 and 3302 of title 5, 
                United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows:

                Section 1. Definitions. (a) ``Military spouse'' means:

(i) the husband or wife of a member of the Armed Forces who, as determined 
by the Secretary of Defense, is performing active duty pursuant to orders 
that authorize a permanent change of station move, if such husband or wife 
relocates to the member's new permanent duty station;

(ii) the husband or wife of a totally disabled retired or separated member 
of the Armed Forces; or

(iii) the unremarried widow or widower of a member of the Armed Forces 
killed while performing active duty.

                    (b) ``Member of the Armed Forces'' has the meaning 
                set forth in 5 CFR 315.612(b)(4).
                    (c) ``Agency'' has the meaning set forth in section 
                3330d of title 5, United States Code.
                    (d) ``Military spouse hiring authority'' shall 
                refer to the appointment authority set forth in 5 
                U.S.C. 3330d and 5 CFR 315.612.

                Sec. 2. Policy. (a) Military spouses make critical 
                contributions to the personal and financial success of 
                our military families. Military service of spouses, 
                however, often impairs the spouse's ability to obtain 
                and maintain employment, and to achieve career goals. 
                Multiple and frequent relocations make it challenging 
                for military spouses to maintain the home front, to 
                comply with licensure and other job requirements, and 
                to obtain adequate childcare.

                    (b) It shall be the policy of the United States to 
                enhance employment support for military spouses. This 
                policy will assist agencies in tapping into a pool of 
                talented individuals and will promote the national 
                interest of the United States and the well-being of our 
                military families. It will also help retain members of 
                the Armed Forces, enhance military readiness, recognize 
                the tremendous sacrifices and service of the members of 
                our Armed Forces and their families, and decrease the 
                burden of regulations that can inhibit the entry of 
                military spouses into the workforce.

                Sec. 3. Promoting Hiring for Military Spouses. (a) To 
                the greatest extent possible consistent with hiring 
                needs, agencies shall, when filling vacant positions in 
                the competitive service, indicate in job opportunity 
                announcements (JOAs) that they will consider candidates 
                under the military spouse hiring authority in addition 
                to candidates identified on the competitive or merit 
                promotion certificate for the position as well as those 
                candidates identified through any other hiring 
                authority a JOA indicates an agency will consider.

                    (b) Agencies shall actively advertise and promote 
                the military spouse hiring authority and actively 
                solicit applications from military spouses for posted 
                and other agency positions (including through USAJOBS).
                    (c) The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) shall 
                consider whether changes to 5 CFR 315.612 are 
                appropriate to account for cases in which

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                there are no agency job openings within the geographic 
                area of the permanent duty station of the member of the 
                Armed Forces for which the member's spouse is 
                qualified.
                    (d) OPM shall also periodically circulate 
                notifications concerning the military spouse hiring 
                authority and its eligibility requirements to each 
                agency's Chief Human Capital Officer or the agency's 
                equivalent officer, for such officer to transmit to 
                appropriate offices and to notify eligible populations. 
                Within 180 days of the date of this order, OPM shall 
                post to its website, and circulate to each agency's 
                Chief Human Capital Officer or the agency's equivalent 
                officer, information about the military spouse hiring 
                authority. That posting shall include a discussion of 
                section 1131 of the National Defense Authorization Act 
                for Fiscal Year 2017, Public Law 114-328, which amended 
                5 U.S.C. 3330d(c) to eliminate the time limitation on 
                noncompetitive appointment for a relocating spouse of a 
                member of the Armed Forces.
                    (e) Within 180 days of the date of this order, OPM 
                shall educate agencies concerning the military spouse 
                hiring authority and ensure human resources personnel 
                and hiring managers are briefed on techniques for its 
                effective use. Concurrently, within 180 days of the 
                date of this order, OPM shall provide any additional 
                clarifying guidance it deems appropriate to agencies on 
                provisions of the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010, 
                Public Law 111-292, and agencies shall ensure that 
                human resources personnel and hiring managers are 
                briefed as needed on techniques for the effective use 
                of telework.
                    (f) Beginning in Fiscal Year 2019, agencies shall 
                report annually (by December 31 of each year) to OPM 
                and the Department of Labor the number of positions 
                made available under the military spouse hiring 
                authority, the number of applications submitted under 
                the military spouse hiring authority, and the number of 
                military spouses appointed under the military spouse 
                hiring authority during the preceding fiscal year. Such 
                report shall also describe actions taken during that 
                period to advertise the military spouse hiring 
                authority, as well as any other actions taken to 
                promote the hiring of military spouses.

                Sec. 4. Administrative Provisions. (a) The Director of 
                OPM shall administer this order and shall, in 
                coordination with the Secretary of Labor, through the 
                Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, provide 
                an annual report to the President regarding the 
                implementation of this order and any recommendations 
                for improving the hiring of military spouses, including 
                steps to enhance the effectiveness of the military 
                spouse hiring authority.

                    (b) The annual report described in subsection (a) 
                of this section shall also include recommendations, 
                developed in consultation with the Secretary of Defense 
                and the Secretary of Homeland Security, for actions 
                that could be taken to improve license portability and 
                remove barriers to the employment of military spouses.

                Sec. 5. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order 
                shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or 
the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

                    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with 
                applicable law and subject to the availability of 
                appropriations.

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                    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, 
                create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, 
                enforceable at law or in equity by any party against 
                the United States, its departments, agencies, or 
                entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any 
                other person.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    May 9, 2018.

[FR Doc. 2018-10403
 Filed 5-11-18; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F8-P