H.R. 9596 — Federal Jobs for STARs Act of 2026

This section defines "employee" as an individual appointed to a position in the civil service in an executive agency, "executive agency" as a department, agency, office, or other establishment in the executive branch of the Federal Government, and "STAR" as an individual active in the labor force without a bachelor’s degree or higher who has developed job-related skills through alternative routes such as community college, apprenticeship, bootcamp, military service, partial college completion, other training programs, or on-the-job experience.

This section directs the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to prohibit executive agencies from requiring a minimum educational attainment for a position unless the Director determines that the degree is necessary to obtain skills required for the role; prescribe regulations on alternative qualifications that satisfy knowledge, skills, and abilities requirements; review the addition of educational requirements during audits of hiring actions; and establish a dedicated hiring path on USAJobs.gov for STAR workers.

This section directs the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, the Deputy Director for Management of the Office of Management and Budget, and heads of other appropriate executive agencies to jointly conduct a feasibility study on resources required to establish a program offering STAR employees pathways for further training and higher education, including fellowships, scholarships, apprenticeships, and tuition assistance. It requires submission of a report on the findings to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform within 180 days of enactment.