On December 16, the House of Representatives approved the Federal Supervisor Education Act of 2025 (H.R. 5810), legislation aimed at improving supervisor training in the federal workforce. The bill, sponsored by Rep. William Timmons (R-SC), passed by voice vote. The Senate must approve the bill for it to go to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.

FMA has long supported efforts to enhance training for managers, saying, "An agency’s ability to meet its mission directly correlates to the quality of workforce management. There is a clear need for training if a manager is to be fully successful. Too often, if an agency promotes an individual to managerial status based on technical prowess, but then fails to develop the individual’s supervisory skills, that agency then severely jeopardizes its capability to deliver the level of service the American public expects and does a disservice to both the manager and to the employees supervised by that inadequately developed manager."

Earlier in the month the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee favorably reported H.R. 5810 by a unanimous vote of 43-0. Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA) offered an amendment to the bill that was adopted, leading to the unanimous vote of support. Timmons issued a statement upon House passage of the bill, which you can read here.

“Agencies promote strong technical employees into supervisory jobs, and then send them in blind,” Timmons said during consideration of the bill in the committee markup. “That leads to low productivity, uneven standards and a system where good employees feel unsupported and bad employees rarely face consequences.”

Rep. Walkinshaw spoke in favor of the bill, as well. “I am a strong supporter of the goal of this legislation,” Walkinshaw said. “Almost all of the language will provide supervisors within the federal workforce the appropriate training and resources to ensure there are strong leaders within their respective agencies.”

Timmons’ bill would require initial training for all new supervisors (within their first year) and subsequent training every three years. Specifically, the bill would require agencies to work with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on:

1. 1. A comprehensive management succession program to provide training to employees to develop managers for the agency; and
2. 2. A training program that provides for training on actions, options, and strategies a supervisor may use in—

(i) developing and discussing relevant performance goals and objectives with the employee and ensuring the performance goals and objectives align to the mission and priority goals of the agency;

(ii) communicating and discussing progress relative to performance goals and objectives, and conducting performance appraisals;

(iii) mentoring and coaching employees and improving employee engagement, performance, and productivity;

(iv) fostering a work environment characterized by fairness, respect, equal opportunity, and attention paid to the merit of the work of employees;

(v) effectively managing employees with unacceptable performance, including training to understand the disciplinary options and procedures available to the supervisor;

(vi) effectively using the probationary period to examine whether an employee has demonstrated successful performance or conduct to continue past the probationary period;

(vii) addressing reports of a hostile work environment, retaliation, or harassment of, or by, another supervisor or employee;

(viii) meeting supervisor competencies established by the Office of Personnel Management or the employing agency of the supervisor; and

(ix) collaborating with human resources employees to recruit, select, appraise, and reward employees to build a workforce based on organizational goals, budget considerations, and staffing needs;

The bill also creates a mentor program for existing supervisors to provide guidance and advice to new or underperforming supervisors. Notably, the bill requires instructor-based training to the extent practicable at each agency.