This legislation will establish within the Office of Personnel Management a “Senior Executive Service Resource Office” (SESRO) to ensure that the Senior Executive Service “reflects the Nation’s diversity.” The office will have the responsibility and the power to “prescribe regulations and provide guidance to agencies concerning the structure, management, and diverse composition of the Senior Executive Service.” The legislation provides for public access to statistics, accessible via an Internet website. The legislation establishes programs to recruit women, ethnic minorities and persons with disabilities at the interagency and collegiate level.

In addition, the SESRO will manage and promote an efficient, elite, and diverse corps of senior executives, be responsible for the policy development of the SES pay system, and develop standards for certification of each agency’s SES performance management system. The office will also be responsible for managing and maintaining active lists of the total number of career reserve positions at each agency, vacant career reserve positions at each agency, and whether or not candidates are being sought to fill the vacancies.

The bill also establishes evaluation panels that are charged with reviewing the qualifications of all candidates for career reserve vacancies and certifying the names of candidates who are best qualified for said position. The evaluation panels must consist of three members. One of which must be a woman and one other a member of a racial or ethnic group.