This bill, known as the Advancing Skills-Based Hiring Act of 2025, aims to empower employers to adopt a skills-based approach to hiring. It establishes a voluntary compliance assistance initiative at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regarding the appropriate use of employment tests and selection procedures. This program enables employers to proactively submit validation information to the EEOC for review. Under this initiative, the EEOC will create a process for employers to voluntarily submit validity evidence for competency-based assessments or other professionally developed selection procedures. The Commission will then determine if the use of these procedures is job-related for the position in question and consistent with business necessity , as defined by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. A positive determination from the EEOC provides a safe harbor , which can satisfy the employer's burden of proof in relevant legal proceedings. Employers with more than 100 employees will pay a reasonable fee for this review service. Crucially, any information submitted by an employer and any technical assistance provided by the EEOC cannot be used against the employer in future enforcement actions or be admissible in court without their consent. The EEOC is also mandated to provide broader education and technical assistance on the use and validation methods of employment tests.