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OFCCP administers and enforces three legal authorities that require equal employment opportunity:
Executive Order 11246, as amended;
Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; and
the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974,
as amended, 38 U.S.C. 4212. Taken together, these laws ban discrimination and require Federal
contractors and subcontractors to take affirmative action to ensure that all individuals have an equal opportunity for
employment, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or status as a Vietnam era or
special disabled veteran.
This order, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, prohibits discrimination in hiring or employment decisions
on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, and national origin. It applies to all nonexempt government contractors
and subcontractors and federally assisted construction contracts and subcontracts in excess of $10,000.
Under the Executive Order, contractors and subcontractors with a federal contract of $50,000 or more, and 50 or more
employees are required to develop a written affirmative action program that is designed to ensure equal employment
opportunity, and sets forth specific and action-oriented programs to which a contractor commits itself to apply every
good faith effort.
Prohibits discrimination and requires affirmative action in all personnel practices for qualified individuals with
disabilities. It applies to all firms that have a nonexempt Government contact or subcontract in excess of $10,000. An
affirmative action program is required.
This prohibits discrimination and requires affirmative action in all personnel practices for all veterans who served
on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service who are special disabled veterans, Vietnam Era veterans,
recently separated veterans, or veterans who served on active duty during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which
a campaign badge has been authorized. It applies to all firms that have a nonexempt Government contract or subcontract of
$25,000 or more. An affirmative action program is required.
In carrying out its responsibilities, the OFCCP uses the following enforcement procedures:
- Offers technical assistance to federal contractors and subcontractors to help them understand the regulatory
requirements and review process.
- Conducts compliance evaluations and complaint investigations of federal contractors and subcontractors personnel
policies and procedures.
- Obtains Conciliation Agreements from contractors and subcontractors who are in violation of regulatory requirements.
- Monitors contractors and subcontractors progress in fulfilling the terms of their agreements through periodic compliance reports.
- Forms linkage agreements between contractors and Labor Department job training programs to help employers identify and recruit qualified workers.
- Recommends enforcement actions to the Solicitor of Labor.
- The ultimate sanction for violations is debarment - the loss of a company's federal contracts. Other forms of relief to victims of discrimination may also be available, including back pay for lost wages.
The OFCCP has close working relationships with other Departmental agencies, such as: the Department of Justice, the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the DOL, the Office of the Solicitor, which advises on ethical, legal and
enforcement issues; the Women's Bureau, which emphasizes the needs of working women; the Bureau of Apprenticeship and
Training, which establishes policies to promote equal opportunities in the recruitment and selection of apprentices; and,
the Employment and Training Administration, which administers Labor Department job training programs for current workforce
needs.
OFCCP has a national network of six Regional Offices, each with
District and Area Offices in Major Metropolitan Centers.
OFCCP focuses its resources on finding and resolving systemic discrimination. The agency has adopted this strategy to: (1)
prioritize enforcement resources by focusing on the worst offenders; (2) encourage employers to engage in self audits of
their employment practices; and (3) achieve maximum leverage of resources to protect the greatest number of workers from
discrimination.
Lorenzo Harrison
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary
Vacant
Deputy Director
Organization Chart
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