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TALENT Act of 2017

Public Law 115-1 · H.R. 39 · 115th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Jan 20, 2017 · Government Operations and Politics

Sponsor: Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-23)

Cosponsors: None

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 386 yea, 17 nay386–17
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Tested Ability to Leverage Exceptional National Talent Act of 2017 or the TALENT Act of 2017

(Sec. 2) This bill codifies provisions establishing the Presidential Innovation Fellows Program (originally established pursuant to Executive Order 13704) to encourage successful entrepreneurs, executives, and innovators to join the government and work in close cooperation with government leaders to create meaningful solutions that can help save lives and taxpayer money, fuel job creation, and significantly improve how the government serves the American people.

The General Services Administration (GSA) shall continue the program in order to enable exceptional individuals with proven track records to serve time-limited appointments in executive agencies to address some of the nation's most significant challenges and improve existing government efforts that would particularly benefit from expertise using innovative techniques and technology.

The program shall be administered by a Director, who shall appoint program fellows and facilitate their placement to participate in projects that have the potential for significant positive effects and that are consistent with the President's goals.

The GSA shall continue an advisory board to recommend priorities and standards for fulfilling the program's mission and to assist in identifying potential projects and placements for fellows.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 115th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 386 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

386 yea17 nay31 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(169)

Republicans who voted yea(217)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 33 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • S. 163Related bill

    Presidential Innovation Fellows Program Act of 2017

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 14 actions.

  1. Jan 20, 2017Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  2. FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  3. Jan 18, 2017FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  4. Jan 17, 2017FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  5. Jan 12, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
  6. Jan 11, 2017FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  7. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 386 - 17 (Roll no. 34).House roll call 34
  8. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  9. Jan 10, 2017FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  10. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 39.
  11. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  12. FloorFloor · Mr. Hurd moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  13. Jan 3, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
  14. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.