Senate Bill 166 — titled in committee as the Fostering Competitive Career Opportunities Act — was amended and passed out of committee. The bill removes postsecondary degree requirements from consideration in state hiring practices for most positions, while excluding the Judicial Branch, the Legislative Branch and political appointees. Committee members adopted an amendment that deleted sections creating a Civil Service Board cause of action and related appeal procedures.

Proponents said the change could broaden the applicant pool and reduce barriers that exclude candidates with substantive work experience but without degrees. Opponents cautioned that the legislature should not become the routine arbiter of human resources decisions, warned of potential increases in litigation or claims against the state if hiring disputes rise, and suggested studying state hiring practices further (including via an interim review) before making broad structural changes.

An amendment offered on the bill removed provisions that would have increased duties or created an appeal path through the Civil Service Board; the senator offering the amendment said the change was intended to avoid putting those additional duties on the civil service board while preserving the bill’s intent to broaden applicant access. The amendment was moved, seconded, and approved. The committee then voted to pass SB166 as amended out of committee.

Committee members also noted that Legislative Post Audit and the Board of Regents had provided input on state hiring practices; some members urged additional study or an interim review to address implementation details and litigation risk before broader statewide implementation.

Why it matters: Removing degree requirements can widen the candidate pool for state jobs and affect hiring practices statewide; deleting the Civil Service Board appeal route narrows potential legal remedies and was a key change adopted by the committee.