HIRE DEA Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The HIRE DEA Act allows the Attorney General, during fiscal years 2027 through 2034, to appoint qualified candidates directly to covered Drug Enforcement Administration positions without using most competitive-service hiring provisions in subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5. Sections 3303 and 3328 still apply. Covered positions include program managers, project managers, criminal investigators and special agents in series 1811, intelligence analysts and intelligence research specialists, forensic specialists, community outreach coordinators, and any other DEA position the Attorney General determines is needed based on emerging drug trafficking trends or threats. The positions can be located wherever the Attorney General deems necessary to support DEA's mission.
Who Benefits and How
DEA benefits from faster hiring for special agents, intelligence analysts, forensic specialists, program managers, project managers, and community outreach roles. Qualified law-enforcement and forensic candidates benefit from a direct-hire pathway. Communities affected by drug trafficking may benefit if DEA fills mission-critical vacancies faster.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Attorney General and DEA must determine covered positions, locations, and threat-based staffing needs while still respecting the retained federal hiring provisions. OPM and ordinary competitive-service processes lose some control over DEA hiring during the covered fiscal years. Federal taxpayers bear the staffing cost if DEA uses the authority to expand hiring.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes direct hiring for covered DEA positions during fiscal years 2027 through 2034.
- Expands covered roles to special agents, intelligence analysts, forensic specialists, program managers, project managers, community outreach coordinators, and other threat-driven DEA positions.
- Provides location flexibility for appointments in places the Attorney General deems necessary to support DEA's mission.
- Requires retained application of sections 3303 and 3328 while bypassing most other competitive-service hiring procedures for covered appointments.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Gives the Attorney General direct-hire authority for DEA mission positions from fiscal years 2027 through 2034 to combat drug trafficking threats.
Key Policy Areas
Law Enforcement, Labor, Public Safety
Primary Purpose
Gives the Attorney General direct-hire authority for DEA mission positions from fiscal years 2027 through 2034 to combat drug trafficking threats.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- DEA
- Special agent candidates
- Intelligence analyst candidates
- Forensic specialist candidates
- Communities affected by drug trafficking
Identified Costs
- Attorney General
- DEA
- OPM
- Federal taxpayers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition …
Introduced in House
Mr. Fong (for himself, Mr. Knott, and Mr. Kiley of …
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "dea"
- → Drug Enforcement Administration
- "attorney_general"
- → Attorney General
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology