42 U.S. Code § 2000e-4 - Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
There is hereby created a Commission to be known as the
A vacancy in the Commission shall not impair the right of the remaining members to exercise all the powers of the Commission and three members thereof shall constitute a quorum.
The Commission shall have an official seal which shall be judicially noticed.
The Commission shall at the close of each fiscal year report to the
The principal office of the Commission shall be in or near the District of Columbia, but it may meet or exercise any or all its powers at any other place. The Commission may establish such regional or State offices as it deems necessary to accomplish the purpose of this subchapter.
All officers, agents, attorneys, and employees of the Commission shall be subject to the provisions of section 7324 [1] of title 5, notwithstanding any exemption contained in such section.
[1] See References in Text note below.
The General Schedule, referred to in subsec. (a), is set out under section 5332 of Title 5.
The effective date of this Act, referred to in subsec. (b)(1), probably means the date of enactment of Pub. L. 92–261, which was approved Mar. 24, 1972.
Section 7324 of title 5, referred to in subsec. (i), which related to Executive agency employees or District of Columbia government employees influencing elections or taking part in political campaigns, was omitted in the general revision of subchapter III of chapter 73 of Title 5 by Pub. L. 103–94, § 2(a), Oct. 6, 1993, 107 Stat. 1003, which enacted a new section 7324, relating to prohibition of political activities while on duty. See section 7323 of Title 5.
In subsec. (a), reference to section “5372” of title 5 substituted for reference to section “5362” on authority of Pub. L. 95–454, § 801(a)(3)(A)(ii), Oct. 13, 1978, 92 Stat. 1221, which redesignated sections 5361 through 5365 of title 5 as sections 5371 through 5375.
In subsec. (i), “section 7324 of title 5” substituted for “section 9 of the Act of August 2, 1939, as amended (the Hatch Act)” on authority of Pub. L. 89–554, § 7(b), Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 631, the first section of which enacted Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. Prior to the enactment of Title 5, section 9 of the Act of August 2, 1939, as amended, was classified to section 118i of Title 5.
1995—Subsec. (k)(2)(C). Pub. L. 104–66 substituted “including information, presented in the aggregate, relating to” for “including” in introductory provisions, “the number of persons and entities” for “the identity of each person or entity” in cl. (i), “such persons and entities” for “such person or entity” in cl. (ii), and “fees” for “fee” and “such persons and entities” for “such person or entity” in cl. (iii).
1992—Subsec. (k). Pub. L. 102–411 added subsec. (k).
1991—Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 102–166, § 111, designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added par. (2).
Subsec. (j). Pub. L. 102–166, § 110(a), added subsec. (j).
1978—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 95–251 substituted “administrative law judges” for “hearing examiners” wherever appearing.
1975—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 93–608 struck out reporting requirement of names, salaries, and duties of all individuals in employ of Commission.
1972—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 92–261, § 8(d), struck out provisions setting forth length of terms of original members of Commission and provisions authorizing Vice Chairman to act as Chairman in certain circumstances, inserted provisions relating to continuation in office of all members of Commission, and substituted provisions requiring appointment of officers, etc., in accordance with provisions of title 5, fixing compensation of such officers, etc., in accordance with provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates, and requiring assignment, removal, and compensation of hearing examiners in accordance with specified sections, for provisions requiring appointment of officers, etc., in accordance with civil service laws, and fixing compensation of such officers, etc., in accordance with the
Subsecs. (b) to (e). Pub. L. 92–261, § 8(e), added subsec. (b), struck out subsec. (e) which amended sections 2204 and 2205 of former Title 5, Executive Departments and Government Officers and Employees, and redesignated existing subsecs. (b), (c), and (d) as (c), (d), and (e), respectively.
Subsec. (g)(6). Pub. L. 92–261, § 8(f), substituted provisions which authorized Commission to intervene in a civil action brought under section 2000e–5 of this title where respondent is other than a government, governmental agency, or political subdivision for provisions which authorized Commission to refer matters to Attorney General with recommendations to intervene or institute civil actions.
Subsecs. (h) to (j). Pub. L. 92–261, § 8(e)(2), (3), struck out subsec. (h) which provided for legal representation for Commission, and redesignated subsecs. (i) and (j) as (h) and (i), respectively.
Pub. L. 102–166, title I, § 110(b), Nov. 21, 1991, 105 Stat. 1078, provided that:
Amendment by section 111 of Pub. L. 102–166 effective Nov. 21, 1991, except as otherwise provided, see section 402 of Pub. L. 102–166, set out as a note under section 1981 of this title.
For termination, effective May 15, 2000, of provisions of law requiring submittal to
Pub. L. 95–454, title IX, § 905, Oct. 13, 1978, 92 Stat. 1224, provided in part that any provision in Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 [set out below] inconsistent with any provision of that Act [see Tables for classification] was superseded thereby.
Prepared by the President and transmitted to the
All functions related to enforcing or administering Section 6(d) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, as amended, (29 U.S.C. 206(d)) are hereby transferred to the
All functions vested in the Secretary of Labor or in the Civil Service Commission pursuant to Sections 2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 of the
(a) All equal opportunity in Federal employment enforcement and relatedfunctions vested in the Civil Service Commission pursuant to Section 717(b) and (c) of the
(b) The
All Federal employment of handicapped individuals enforcement functions and related functions vested in the Civil Service Commission pursuant to Section 501 of the
Any function of the
All functions of the Equal Employment Opportunity Coordinating Council, which was established pursuant to Section 715 of the
Administrative proceedings including administrative appeals from the acts of an executive agency (as defined by Section 105 of Title 5 of the United States Code) commenced or being conducted by or against such executive agency will not abate by reason of the taking effect of this Plan. Consistent with the provisions of this Plan, all such proceedings shall continue before the
So much of the personnel, property, records and unexpended balances of appropriations, allocations and other funds employed, used, held, available, or to be made available in connection with the functions transferred under this Plan, as the Director of the
This Reorganization Plan shall become effective at such time or times, on or before October 1, 1979, as the President shall specify, but not sooner than the earliest time allowable under Section 906 of Title 5 of the United States Code.
[Pursuant to Ex. Ord. No. 12106, Dec. 26, 1978, 44 F.R. 1053, the transfer to the
[Pursuant to Ex. Ord. No. 12144, June 22, 1979, 44 F.R. 37193, sections 1 and 2 of this Reorg. Plan are effective July 1, 1979, except for transfer of functions already effective Jan. 1, 1979, under Ex. Ord. No. 12106 above.]
[Pursuant to Ex. Ord. No. 12068, June 30, 1978, 43 F.R. 28971, section 5 of this Reorg. Plan is effective July 1, 1978.]
[Pursuant to Ex. Ord. No. 12067, June 30, 1978, 43 F.R. 28967, section 6 of this Reorg. Plan is effective July 1, 1978.]
To the
I am submitting to you today Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978. This Plan makes the
In 1940 President Roosevelt issued the first Executive Order forbidding discrimination in employment by the Federal government. Since that time the
Fair employment is too vital for haphazard enforcement. My Administration will aggressively enforce our civil rights laws. Although discrimination in any area has severe consequences, limiting economic opportunity affects access to education, housing and health care. I, therefore, ask you to join with me to reorganize administration of the civil rights laws and to begin that effort by reorganizing the enforcement of those laws which ensure an equal opportunity to a job.
Eighteen government units now exercise important responsibilities under statutes, Executive Orders and regulations relating to equal employment opportunity:
The
The
In addition, the Labor Department enforces the
The
The Civil ServiceCommission (CSC) enforces Title VII and all other nondiscrimination and affirmative action requirements for Federal employment. The CSC rules on complaints filed by individuals and monitors affirmative action plans submitted annually by other Federal agencies.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Coordinating Council includes representatives from EEOC, Labor, Justice, CSC and the Civil Rights Commission. It is charged with coordinating the Federal equal employment opportunity enforcement effort and with eliminating overlap and inconsistent standards.
In addition to these major government units, other agencies enforce various equal employment opportunity requirements which apply to specific grantprograms. The
These programs have had only limited success. Some of the past deficiencies include:
—inconsistent standards of compliance;
—duplicative, inconsistent paperwork requirements and investigative efforts;
—conflicts within agencies between their program responsibilities and their responsibility to enforce the civil rights laws;
—confusion on the part of workers about how and where to seek redress;
—lack of accountability.
I am proposing today a series of steps to bring coherence to the equal employment enforcement effort. These steps, to be accomplished by the Reorganization Plan and Executive Orders, constitute an important step toward consolidation of equal employment opportunity enforcement. They will be implemented over the next two years, so that the agencies involved may continue their internal reform.
Its experience and broad scope make the EEOC suitable for the role of principal Federal agency in fair employment enforcement. Located in the Executive Branch and responsible to the President, the EEOC has developed considerable expertise in the field of employment discrimination since
While it has had management problems in past administrations, the EEOC’s new leadership is making substantial progress in correcting them. In the last seven months the Commission has redesigned its internal structures and adopted proven management techniques. Early experience with these procedures indicates a high degree of success in reducing and expediting new cases. At my direction, the
The Reorganization Plan I am submitting will accomplish the following:
On July 1, 1978, abolish the Equal Employment Opportunity Coordinating Council (42 U.S.C. 2000e–14) and transfer its duties to the EEOC (no positions or funds shifted).
On October 1, 1978, shift enforcement of equal employment opportunity for Federal employees from the CSC to the EEOC (100 positions and $6.5 million shifted).
On July 1, 1979, shift responsibility for enforcing both the Equal Pay Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act from the Labor Department to the EEOC (198 positions and $5.3 million shifted for Equal Pay; 119 positions and $3.5 million for Age Discrimination).
Clarify the Attorney General’s authority to initiate “pattern or practice” suits under Title VII in the public sector.
In addition, I will issue an Executive Order on October 1, 1978, to consolidate the contract compliance program—now the responsibility of Labor and eleven “compliance agencies”—into the Labor Department (1,517 positions and $33.1 million shifted).
These proposed transfers and consolidations reduce from fifteen to three the number of Federal agencies having important equal employment opportunity responsibilities under Title VII of the
Each element of my Plan is important to the success of the entire proposal.
By abolishing the Equal Employment Opportunity Coordinating Council and transferring its responsibilities to the EEOC, this plan places the Commission at the center of equal employment opportunity enforcement. With these new responsibilities, the EEOC can give coherence and direction to the government’s efforts by developing strong uniform enforcement standards to apply throughout the government: standardized data collection procedures, joint training programs, programs to ensure the sharing of enforcement related data among agencies, and methods and priorities for complaint and compliance reviews. Such direction has been absent in the Equal Employment Opportunity Coordinating Council.
It should be stressed, however, that affected agencies will be consulted before EEOC takes any action. When the Plan has been approved, I intend to issue an Executive Order which will provide for consultation, as well as a procedure for reviewing major disputed issues within the
Transfer of the Civil ServiceCommission’s equal employment opportunity responsibilities to EEOC is needed to ensure that: (1) Federal employees have the same rights and remedies as those in the private sector and in State and local government; (2) Federal agencies meet the same standards as are required of other employers; and (3) potential conflicts between an agency’s equal employment opportunity and personnel management functions are minimized. The Federal government must not fall below the standard of performance it expects of private employers.
The Civil ServiceCommission has in the past been lethargic in enforcing fair employment requirements within the Federal government. While the Chairman and other Commissioners I have appointed have already demonstrated their personal commitment to expanding equal employment opportunity, responsibility for ensuring fair employment for Federal employees should rest ultimately with the EEOC.
We must ensure that the transfer in no way undermines the important objectives of the comprehensive civil service reorganization which will be submitted to
The Equal Pay Act now administered by the Labor Department, prohibits employers from paying unequal wages based on sex. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which is enforced by EEOC, contains a broader ban on sex discrimination. The transfer of Equal Pay responsibility from the Labor Department to the EEOC will minimize overlap and centralize enforcement of statutory prohibitions against sex discrimination in employment.
The transfer will strengthen efforts to combat sex discrimination. Such efforts would be enhanced still further by passage of the legislation pending before you, which I support, that would prohibit employers from excluding women disabled by pregnancy from participating in disability programs.
There is now virtually complete overlap in the employers, labor organizations, and employment agencies covered by Title VII and by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. This overlap is burdensome to employers and confusing to victims of discrimination. The proposed transfer of the age discrimination program from the Labor Department to the EEOC will eliminate the duplication.
The Plan I am proposing will not affect the Attorney General’s responsibility to enforce Title VII against State or local governments or to represent the Federal government in suits against Federal contractors and grant recipients. In 1972, the
A critical element of my proposals will be accomplished by Executive Order rather than by the Reorganization Plan. This involves consolidation in the Labor Department of the responsibility to ensure that Federal contractors comply with Executive Order 11246. Consolidation will achieve the following: promote consistent standards, procedures, and reporting requirements; remove contractors from the jurisdiction of multiple agencies; prevent an agency’s equal employment objectives from being outweighed by its procurement and construction objectives; and produce more effective law enforcement through unification of planning, training and sanctions. By 1981, after I have had an opportunity to review the manner in which both the EEOC and the Labor Department are exercising their new responsibilities, I will determine whether further action is appropriate.
Finally, the responsibility for enforcing grant-related equal employment provisions will remain with the agencies administering the grant programs. With the EEOC acting as coordinator of Federal equal employment programs, we will be able to bring overlap and duplication to a minimum. We will be able, for example, to see that a university’s employment practices are not subject to duplicative investigations under both Title IX of the
Each of the changes set forth in the Reorganization Plan accompanying this message is necessary to accomplish one or more of the purposes set forth in Section 901(a) of Title 5 of the United States Code. I have taken care to determine that all functions abolished by the Plan are done only under the statutory authority provided by Section 903(b) of Title 5 of the United States Code.
I do not anticipate that the reorganizations contained in this Plan will result in any significant change in expenditures. They will result in a more efficient and manageable enforcement program.
The Plan I am submitting is moderate and measured. It gives the
The White House, February 23, 1978.
Ex. Ord. No. 12106, Dec. 26, 1978, 44 F.R. 1053, provided:
By the authority vested in me as President of the United States of America by Section 9 of Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 (43 FR 19807) [set out above], in order to effectuate the transfer of certain functions relating to the enforcement of equal employment programs, and in order to make certain technical amendments in other Orders to reflect this transfer of functions, it is hereby ordered as follows:
1–101. The transfer to the
1–102. Executive Order No. 11478, as amended [set out as a note under section 2000e of this title], is further amended by deleting the preamble, by substituting “national origin, handicap, or age” for “or national origin” in the first sentence of Section 1, and revising Sections 3, 4, and 5 to read as follows:
“Sec. 3. The
“Sec. 4. The
“Sec. 5. All departments and agencies shall cooperate with and assist the
1–103. Executive Order No. 11022, as amended [set out as a note under section 3001 of this title], is further amended by revising Section 1(b) to read as follows:
“(b) The Council shall be composed of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare [now Health and Human Services], who shall be Chairman, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Agriculture, the
1–104. Executive Order No. 11480 of September 9, 1969 [set out as a note under section 791 of Title 29, Labor], is amended by deleting “and the Chairman of the United States Civil Service Commission” in Section 4 and substituting therefor “Director of the
1–105. Executive Order No. 11830 of January 9, 1975 [set out as a note under section 791 of Title 29, Labor], is amended by deleting Section 2 and revising Section 1 to read as follows:
“In accord with Section 501 of the
“(1)
“(2) Secretary of Labor.
“(3) Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare [now Health and Human Services], Co-Chairman.
“(4) Director of the
“(5) Administrator of
“(6) Administrator of General Services.
“(7) Chairman of the
“(8) Chairman of the
“(9) Such other members as the President may designate.”
1–106. This Order shall be effective on January 1, 1979.
Ex. Ord. No. 12144, June 22, 1979, 44 F.R. 37193, provided:
By the authority vested in me as President of the United States of America by the Constitution and laws of the United States, including Section 9 of Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 (43 FR 19807) [set out above], in order to effectuate the transfer of certain functions relating to the enforcement of equal pay and age discrimination in employment programs from the
1–101. Sections 1 and 2 of Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 (43 FR 19807) [set out as a note above] shall become effective on July 1, 1979, with the exception of the transfer of functions from the Civil Service Commission, already effective January 1, 1979 (Executive Order No. 12106 [set out above]).
1–102. The records, property, personnel and positions, and unexpended balances of appropriations or funds, available or to be made available, which relate to the functions transferred as provided in this Order are hereby transferred from the
1–103. The Director of the
1–104. This Order shall be effective July 1, 1979.
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