WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced that he has cosponsored bipartisan legislation that would make the Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) program permanent, establishing in law a pathway for government to attract experienced technology entrepreneurs and innovators to public service.

The Presidential Innovation Fellows program, which was established by the White House in 2012 and enjoys bipartisan support, brings the innovation economy into government by pairing talented, diverse technologists, entrepreneurs, and innovators with top civil-servants and change-makers across multiple federal agencies to tackle some our nation’s biggest challenges.

“As advancement in technology changes lives, it also has the power to make government more efficient and effective in meeting the challenges we face as a country,” Senator King said. “But in order to seize those opportunities, we need to attract and steer the best and brightest minds towards government service for at least part of their careers. By providing a permanent pathway to the public sector for tech innovators via the Presidential Innovation Fellows program, this bipartisan legislation would help continue to provide our government with a pipeline of innovative entrepreneurs and ideas to help meet the critical challenges of today and the future.”

The program is administered as a partnership between the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the White House Office of Management and Budget, and the General Services Administration. Fellows serve for between six and 24 months, during which they collaborate with each other and federal agency partners on high-profile initiatives aimed at saving lives, saving taxpayer money, fueling job creation, and building the culture of entrepreneurship and innovation within government. The program does not create any new funding obligations, and agencies requesting a fellow reimburse GSA for both direct and indirect costs incurred by the program.

The legislation was introduced in November by Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.). A similar bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and was overwhelmingly passed by the House in June.

More information on the bill is available HERE.

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