OPM Final Rule Overhauls Federal Personnel Management Framework, Effective November 30
A final rule issued by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was published in the Federal Register on October 29 (Document No. 2026-22093, 91 FR 68013), modernizing the framework governing personnel management and strategic human capital management in federal agencies. The rule takes effect on November 30, 2026.
The rule amends Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 250. It replaces the Human Capital Operating Plan, Human Capital Review and HRStat quarterly review framework with Annual Staffing Plans and associated review processes, streamlining human capital planning and reporting requirements. Annual Staffing Plans are tied to the budget formulation cycle under OMB Circular A-11 and must enable succession planning.
The rule also strengthens the authority and visibility of agency Chief Human Capital Officers (CHCOs), adding an annual agency-head certification identifying any gaps in CHCO authority with a remediation timeline. Each agency must establish a Strategic Hiring Committee to oversee hiring; OPM clarifies that the committee performs a governance and workforce-planning function, holds no examining, rating or certification authority, and that its members remain subject to merit system principles.
The rule further updates the federal employee survey framework under Subpart C and removes nonstatutory references to a "diverse" workforce from the regulatory text. OPM states that the removal does not disturb agencies' statutory obligations under the merit system principles, prohibited personnel practices rules, or equal employment opportunity requirements.
OPM published the proposed rule on July 2, 2026 (91 FR 40435) and received nine public comments during the 30-day comment period from individual citizens, nonprofit and professional organizations, and a former federal employee writing in a private capacity, making targeted revisions in response. The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs designated the rulemaking a significant regulatory action under Executive Order 12866, and OPM assessed its governmentwide implementation cost as well below the threshold requiring a full regulatory impact analysis.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 位于华盛顿的人事管理局（OPM）总部 Theodore Roosevelt 大楼入口（G. Edward Johnson 摄，CC BY 4.0，Wikimedia Commons）
